UPDATE, NOV. 25: British Petroleum (BP) announced Monday, Nov. 24, that it has identified the location of the leak that shut down the Olympic Pipeline.
The leak was identified in the larger 20-inch pipeline Monday night, BP said in a statement. As for now, the smaller 16-inch pipeline has been restored as of Tuesday morning.
BP did not have a timeline for the repair or restart of the larger pipeline.
The shutdown, which has lasted more than a week, has forced airlines to land long-haul flights at nearby airports to refuel, in addition to airplanes tankering in fuel on incoming flights, according to KOMO News.
The Washington State Department of Ecology recently fined BP and the Olympic Pipeline Company for a 2023 oil spill near Conway.
During the investigation, the Department of Ecology found that a corroded nut caused a release of 21,000 gallons of gasoline from the Olympic Pipeline, sending 4,000 gallons to a nearby fish-bearing stream and resulting in a school closing temporarily.
In the same press release, the Department of Ecology said they have yet to determine whether a penalty will be issued for the Tuesday, Nov. 11 incident.
EVERETT, NOV. 21: The Olympic Pipeline between Everett and Snohomish has been shut down after a fuel leak, prompting Gov. Bob Ferguson to issue an emergency proclamation to ensure jet fuel is delivered to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, routine maintenance of the pipeline discovered a sheen in a drainage ditch near Lowell-Snohomish River Road. In this specific location, the pipeline consists of two parallel pipes, one 16 inches in diameter and the other 20 inches.
British Petroleum (BP) Pipelines North America, operator of the pipeline, is working with the state federal and tribal partners on containment, cleanup and repair.
Responders deployed boom and oil recovery equipment to contain and clean up the released product, according to BP.
The leak was identified in the larger underground pipe. The cause of which is currently under investigation.
There has been no update on reopening as of the morning of Friday, Nov. 21.
The Olympic Pipeline is a 400-mile system that transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from a refinery in Whatcom County.
The Governor’s emergency proclamation on Wednesday, Nov. 19, temporarily waives and suspends state regulations limiting the number of hours commercial motor vehicle operators can drive when transporting jet fuel, while ensuring that safe-driving measures are in place.
The proclamation ensures adequate fuel supplies can be delivered to SEA while the Olympic Pipeline remains down.
If the pipeline isn’t operational by Saturday, Nov. 22, the governor’s office said that airport operations would be significantly impacted.
Delta and Alaska Airlines told KOMO News that they are monitoring the situation, and current operations are not being impacted by the shutdown.
Cascadia Daily News reported that Olympic Pipeline has already had three known incidents this year: a July spill of 25 gallons of diesel at the Renton Pipeline Station, a September leak at Castle Rock pump station, and the Nov. 11 leak.
