2.1 Overview of the Proposed Project - Keystone XL pipeline - US ...

Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact StatementKeystone XL ProjectOil spills on the ground surface and some releases below grade potentially could ignite. PHMSAdata for onshore oil and hazardous material pipelines indicate that only 6 of 2,706 incidents (0.2percent) that occurred from 1990 through 2009 were attributed to “fire/explosion as a primarycause.” Six out of 3,033 incidents were reported as due to the referenced cause. Two out of 1,360crude oil incidents were reported as due to the reference cause.A search of the internet for reports of crude oil pipeline explosions suggests that 1) there are veryfew if any explosions in crude oil pipeline operation that were the result of a failure of thepipeline as a primary cause, and 2) the very few that have occurred are attributable to explosionsin ancillary facilities or errors in operations unassociated with crude oil transportation. Forexample, the recent explosion and fire in the crude oil pipeline/storage tank area in Dalian,China, occurred as a result of an improper desulfurization operation; the primary cause was notthe transport of crude oil in the pipeline.An accidental crude oil spill from the pipeline or at a pump station would likely result in somehydrocarbon vapors, but they would not be in confined spaces and therefore would be unlikely toexplode. A fire associated with a release from a crude oil pipeline is relatively rare. In the eventof a fire, local emergency responders would execute the roles listed above and more specificallyin the PSRP and the ERP, and firefighters would take actions to prevent the crude oil fire fromspreading to residential areas.RemediationCorrective remedial actions would be dictated by federal, state, and local regulations andenforced by the USEPA, Office of Pipeline Safety, and appropriate state and/or local agencies.Required remedial actions may be large or small, dependent upon a number of factors includingstate mandated remedial cleanup levels, potential effects to sensitive receptors, the volume andextent of the contamination, whether or not there is a violation of water quality standards, and themagnitude of adverse impacts caused by remedial activities. A large remediation action mayinclude the excavation and removal of contaminated soil or could involve allowing thecontaminated soil to recover through natural attenuation or environmental fate processes such asevaporation and biodegradation.If, during construction, tanks or contamination are found, they would be managed according tofederal, state, and/or local regulations. Further, Keystone would make individuals available whoare trained in identifying and disposing of hazardous materials during construction.If there is an accidental release from the proposed Project, Keystone would implement theremedial measures necessary to meet the federal, state, and local standards that are designed toensure protection of human health and environmental quality. Additional information onremediation is presented in Section 4.13, Potential Releases.2.1.12 Connected ActionsThere are three actions that are separate from the proposed Project that are not part of thePresidential Permit application submitted by Keystone, but are being reviewed as connectedProject Description 2.1-74 March 2013