SPECTRA ENERGY CORP. PIPELINE IN ARKANSAS RIVER RUPTURES, RELEASES NATURAL GAS, CLOSING 2 MILES OF THE RIVER

JUNE 3, 2015

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

UPDATE June 2, 11:00 p.m.: A spokesperson from Spectra Energy, the operator of the Texas Eastern pipeline, spoke with me this evening about the incident. See below for details.

The U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed news that began circulating earlier today: A pipeline that carries natural gas across the Arkansas River ruptured in Little Rock yesterday or over the weekend. The breach occurred east of the I-30 bridge.

Lieutenant Brian Porter, a public affairs officer for the Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River in Memphis, said it appears no one was injured in the accident, but one vessel — a towboat called the Chris M — was damaged. Porter said the Coast Guard was alerted to the rupture by a call on Monday, June 1 at 2 p.m. It has closed the river to commercial traffic from mile markers 116 to 118 while it assesses the situation. 

The line in question is the Texas Eastern, which is owned by Houston-based Spectra Energy.  Phil West, a spokesperson for Spectra, spoke with the Times about the breach on Tuesday evening.
West said the rupture occurred on a 4.6 mile back-up section of 24-inch pipeline that runs parallel to another pipe the company normally uses to transport natural gas north from Texas to Arkansas and other states beyond. Both are buried beneath the Arkansas River. Gas was not flowing through the back-up line at the time, West said — the material that escaped was only the gas present in that 4.6 mile stretch. He said the company "has not yet determined a cause" for the break.

"We have two pipelines that run across the river in the area, and the one that [ruptured] is an auxiliary. It’s not normally in use. It’s a way to transfer gas across the river when the other pipe is not in use," West said. "There’s valves on either side of that that isolate the line ... the release was contained to the section on either sides of that valve."

About 3.9 million cubic feet were released, or 3900 Mcf in the volume units commonly used within the gas industry. Although that may sound like a large amount at first glance, West said "that is, in natural gas terms, a relatively small number ... On any given day, we send billions of cubic feet through our pipeline." West provided some additional numbers by email to contextualize the figure: "Arkansas consumed about 282.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2013. That’s approximately 774.8 million cubic feet per day."

As for cleanup concerns, he said, "all of the gas in that line would bubble to the surface and dissipate into the atmosphere quickly."

West said Spectra was shutting down its primary pipeline underneath the Arkansas "out of an abundance of caution" as it investigates the cause of the rupture. Spectra delivers gas to Centerpoint Energy, but West said neither retail nor industrial customers in Arkansas should expect any interference in service because of the accident.

He also said the company had sent a response crew to the site, including divers, but flood conditions on the Arkansas have interfered with that effort. "They experienced swifter currents than they expected and decided to come out," he stated. West could not yet confirm that the company has been searching for a missing piece of pipe in the river. Porter, the Coast Guard spokesperson, told the Times earlier today that the crew was trying to locate a section of pipe but had not yet found it.

The tugboat damaged by the rupture, said Porter, "sustained damage on the port side, the smokestack and main deck." It's not yet known whether the pipeline was somehow struck by the Chris M or if it exploded for a different reason. 

"We sent a warrant officer out there today — he'll gather that information, what happened, the course of path. We can find out if they were involved in that situation, but we may not know for awhile what happened. ... We're investigating it from a marine casualty standpoint."

Other agencies will likely get involved as well, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and possibly state environmental regulators. The Army Corps could not be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon evening.

Glen Hooks, director of the Arkansas chapter of the Sierra Club, issued the following statement on Tuesday afternoon: 

This spill is yet another example of the dangers posed to Arkansas by pipelines and dirty fuels. Whether we are talking about oil spills in Mayflower or the gas spill this week, the dangers to our health and natural resources from ruptured pipelines are enormous and unnecessary.

As the number of pipeline accidents pile up in Arkansas, it is time for our state to start moving away from dirty and dangerous fuels. Step one should be stopping the construction of new dangerous pipelines currently proposed for Arkansas. Pipeline ruptures in Arkansas are becoming commonplace—how many will it take before we, as a state, finally say no?

Source: http://www.arktimes.com

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A 2-mile section of the Arkansas River near Little Rock remained closed Wednesday following the rupture of a pipeline that released enough natural gas to fuel about 65 homes for a year.

U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Brian Porter said the section of the swollen river, which is near Arkansas' busiest airport, will remain closed until Spectra Energy Corp. crews can check whether the pipeline poses a danger to boats. He said there have been no reports of injuries since the leak was reported Monday, and that the closure hasn't affected boat traffic because the river was already mostly closed due to flooding.

Spectra Energy Corp. spokesman Creighton Welch said the cause of the leak isn't known, and he declined to estimate how much it cost the company. The leak occurred Sunday or Monday on a 24-inch-wide backup pipeline buried 4 feet below the riverbed. The line was closed when it ruptured and the roughly 4 million cubic feet of natural gas that escaped had been what was left over inside, he said.

An incident report submitted by the company to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration indicates a boat might have struck the pipeline. Welch said investigators are still working to determine if a boat was involved. Porter said a towboat reported an explosion and sustained unspecified damage.

The auxiliary line is part of the company's Texas Eastern Pipeline, which transports fuel from Texas to New Jersey. The company provides gas to CenterPoint Energy in the Little Rock area.

Welch said Spectra Energy Corp. has indefinitely closed the main pipeline while crews work to determine how the backup was damaged.

Porter said it's unclear if the spill has affected the environment. An Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter.

Welch said the gas leak shouldn't have a lasting impact on the river, as the fuel escapes from the water relatively quickly.

"What happens is it will bubble up to the surface and dissipate into the air," Welch said. "There should not be any residual materials in the water."

The average U.S. family uses 168 cubic feet of natural gas per day, Welch said, meaning the escaped fuel could power about 65 homes for a year. He said Arkansas uses about 775 million cubic feet per day.

Dive crews using sonar equipment have been working the area since Monday, Welch said. Complicating their task is record rainfall across the southern Plains, which has caused waterways, including the Arkansas River, to swell.

The National Weather Service reported that the river in Little Rock has been near flood stage since before Sunday and could enter minor flood stage briefly on Wednesday or Thursday. The river is projected to crest at 23 feet, which is the exact cutoff for minor flood stage.

"Given the high levels of the river right now, some of that has been slowed," Welch said of the divers. "Obviously, we want to make sure they're safe as well."

Shane Carter, a spokesman for the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, said the leak didn't cause damage to the airport or interrupt any flights.

Source:associatedpress.com

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4 million cubic feet of natural gas leaks as pipeline ruptures on Arkansas River

Published time: June 03, 2015 16:34 

Around 4 million cubic feet of natural gas was released into the Arkansas River due to a rupture of a pipeline near the city of Little Rock in flood-hit state of Arkansas, the pipeline’s operator reported.

A two-mile section of the river was closed indefinitely due to the incident, which led to no injuries or fatalities, Jonathan Lally, US Coast Guard spokesman, told AP. 

It won’t be reopened until the operator of the Texas Eastern pipeline, Spectra Energy Corp., finds and repairs the leak, he added. 

According to Lally, the sheen from the fuel has by now mostly dissipated.

The 3.9 million cubic feet of gas leaked on Sunday or Monday from a backup line crossing the swollen Arkansas River, said Phil West, spokesman for Spectra Energy Corp. 

The reasons for the leak haven’t been established yet, the spokesman said, adding that the line was closed before the rupture and that what spilled into the water was only leftover gas inside. 

"We have two pipelines that run across the river in the area, and the one that [ruptured] is an auxiliary. It’s not normally in use. It’s a way to transfer gas across the river when the other pipe is not in use," West told the Times. 

"There’s valves on either side of that that isolate the line ... the release was contained to the section on either sides of that valve." 

Spectra Energy Corp. shut down its primary pipeline running underneath the Arkansas “out of an abundance of caution” as it investigates the cause of the leak. 

The amount of gas leaked was “a relatively small number ... On any given day, we send billions of cubic feet through our pipeline,” West added. 

Southwest Arkansas and areas along the Arkansas River were flooded in recent days, with State Emergency Operations Center activated at Level 2 (limited operation) to respond to the disaster.

Source: http://rt.com

The United States of Chemicals: Chemical Dangers of Non-Stick Cookware and Water-Repellant Items

June 03, 2015  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-stick cookware and bakeware has become enormously popular because of its convenience. Foods slide right off, reducing the amount of elbow-grease required to clean the pan.
Ditto for stain- and water-repellant clothing, carpets and fabrics, and many other treated products that have emerged over the past six decades.
But there may be a high price to pay for this convenience, as the poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) used to create these surfaces are toxic and highly persistent, both in your body and in the environment.
As you can tell by the names, PFAS are fluorinated chemicals. It's actually the fluorine atoms that provide that hallmark slipperiness. I first became aware of the dangers of fluoride-impregnated non-stick coatings back in 2001.
I revised my cookware recommendations back then, and many of the health concerns I've warned about since then were recently confirmed by hundreds of international scientists.

You Probably Have PFAS in Your Home—And in Your Body

When heated, non-stick cookware becomes a source of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a long-chain perfluorinated chemical linked to a range of health problems, including thyroid disease, infertility in women, and organ damage and developmental and reproductive problems in lab animals.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also ruled perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) as "likely carcinogens." Despite that, these chemicals are still used in a wide array of household products. Besides non-stick cookware, PFCs are used to create heat-resistant and non-stick coatings on:

• Soil- and water-repellant carpet and furniture treatments
• Stain- and water-repellant clothing
• Protective sprays for leather and shoes
• Food wraps, pizza boxes, and microwave popcorn bags
• Paint and cleaning products

They're also found in flame retardant chemicals (and, hence, items treated with flame retardants). PFCs are also being released into the environment via factory emissions, and during house fires when treated items burn.
According to the CDC's "Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals,"¹ published in 2009, 12 different PFCs were detected in Americans, including PFOA. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR):²

"Once in your body, perfluoroalkyls tend to remain unchanged for long periods of time. The most commonly used perfluoroalkyls (PFOA and PFOS) stay in the body for many years. It takes approximately four years for the level in the body to go down by half, even if no more is taken in."

While there's a dizzying array of chemical names in the PFAS groups, if an item is either non-stick, waterproof, or stain-resistant, it has some type of fluoride-impregnated coating that provides the slipperiness, and you can be virtually guaranteed it will be problematic.

Phased Out PFAS Replaced with Others of Similar Concern

In 2006, the EPA launched the 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program,³ and companies agreed to voluntarily reduce the use of PFOA and related chemicals by 95 percent by 2010, with the aim to eliminate them by 2015.
Unfortunately, it was only a voluntary program and much of the damage has already been done, as these chemicals have been found to be extremely resistant to biodegradation. Some polyfluorinated chemicals also break down to form perfluorinated ones.
Making matters worse, the chemicals targeted for phase out are being replaced with anothergroup of PFAS that share many of the same problems as the ones being eliminated.⁴
The newer, short-chain PFAS are thought to be less hazardous, but scientists warn we don't yet know enough about them to make a solid determination about their safety. There are certainly warning signs suggesting we're just trading one danger for another...
For example, a recent Danish study⁵ looking into the health effects of PFAS, including the newer short-chain versions that are replacing the older long-chained ones, found that women with higher blood levels of PFAS had a 16-fold increased risk for miscarriage.
We see the same problem happening with flame retardants, which has lead a group of scientists to propose a ban on an entire class of chemicals (organohalogens) rather than tackling them one-by-one, in an effort to put an end to this "toxic whack-a-mole game" played by the chemical industry.⁶
As for the newer, short-chain PFAS taking over the market, Arlene Blum, a University of California chemist, and the executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute says:⁷

"We know these substitutes are equally persistent. They don't break down for geologic time... It's a very serious decision to make chemicals that last that long, and putting them into consumer products with high levels of human exposure is a worrisome thing."

Non-Stick Cookware Release Toxic Fumes

In studies of heated non-stick pans on conventional stovetops, commissioned by the consumer watchdog organization Environmental Working Group (EWG),⁸ it only took two to five minutes of heating to reach temperatures at which dangerous toxins were produced.
The coating begins to break down and release toxins into the air at 464 degrees Fahrenheit. When the pot or pan reaches 680 degrees F, they release at least six toxic gasses, including two carcinogens (PFOA and TFE), and monofluoroacetic acid (MFA), a chemical warfare agent that is deadly to humans even at low doses.
According to the EWG, studies conducted by DuPont's own scientists revealed that when its non-stick cookware is heated it breaks down into 15 types of toxic gases and particles.⁹ For a list reviewing them all, please see EWG's 2003 report, "Canaries in the Kitchen: DuPont Has Known for 50 Years,"¹⁰ which also notes:

"DuPont acknowledges that the fumes can also sicken people, a condition called 'polymer fume fever.' DuPont has never studied the incidence of the fever among users of the billions of non-stick pots and pans sold around the world. Neither has the company studied the long-term effects from the sickness, or the extent to which exposures lead to human illnesses believed erroneously to be the common flu."

Hundreds of Scientists Issue Warning Over PFAS

Arlene Blum (mentioned earlier) is also the lead author of the recently published Madrid Statement,^11,12 signed by more than 200 scientists from 40 countries,¹³ which presents the scientific consensus on the harms of PFAS chemicals, old and new. For example, the Statement points out that:

1. "Although some of the long-chain PFASs are being regulated or phased out, the most common replacements are short-chain PFASs with similar structures, or compounds with fluorinated segments joined by ether linkages.
2. While some shorter-chain fluorinated alternatives seem to be less bioaccumulative, they are still as environmentally persistent as long-chain substances or have persistent degradation products.
Thus, a switch to short-chain and other fluorinated alternatives may not reduce the amounts of PFASs in the environment. In addition, because some of the shorter-chain PFASs are less effective, larger quantities may be needed to provide the same performance.

3. While many fluorinated alternatives are being marketed, little information is publicly available on their chemical structures, properties, uses, and toxicological profiles.
4. Increasing use of fluorinated alternatives will lead to increasing levels of stable perfluorinated degradation products in the environment, and possibly also in biota and humans. This would increase the risks of adverse effects on human health and the environment."

An editorial¹⁴ accompanying the Madrid Statement echoes the same warning, saying: "Given the fact that research raised concern about the long-chain PFASs for many years before action was taken and that global contamination and toxicity have been documented in the general population, potential risks of the short-chain PFASs should be taken into account when choosing replacements for the longer-chain compounds."
In fact, 10 years ago, the EPA fined DuPont $16.5 million for withholding decades' worth of information about health hazards associated with PFAS. As noted in a recent report¹⁵ by the Environmental Working Group (EWG):

"DuPont had long known that PFOA caused cancer, had poisoned drinking water in the mid-Ohio River Valley and polluted the blood of people and animals worldwide. But it never told its workers, local officials and residents, state regulators, or the EPA." At the time, that fine was the largest the EPA had ever assessed, but it was still too small to act as a deterrent.

Documented Health Effects of PFAS

The Madrid Statement lists many of the documented health effects associated with the older, long-chain PFASs, including the following:¹⁶

Liver toxicity	Disruption of lipid metabolism, and the immune and endocrine systems
Adverse neurobehavioral effects	Neonatal toxicity and death
Tumors in multiple organ systems	Testicular and kidney cancers
Liver malfunction	Hypothyroidism
High cholesterol	Ulcerative colitis
Reduced birth weight and size	Obesity
Decreased immune response to vaccines	Reduced hormone levels and delayed puberty

How to Avoid These Dangerous Chemicals

The Madrid Statement¹⁷ recommends avoiding any and all products containing, or manufactured using, PFASs, noting they include products that are stain-resistant, waterproof, or non-stick. More helpful tips can be found in the EWG's Guide to Avoiding PFCS.¹⁸ Besides listing a number of sportswear brands known to use PFCs in their shoes and clothing, the Guide also notes that Apple admits the wristband of its new Apple Watch Sport model is made with PFCs. Other suggestions that will help you avoid these dangerous chemicals include avoiding:

Items that have been pre-treated with stain-repellants, and opt out of such treatments when buying new furniture and carpets

Water- and/or stain-repellant clothing. One tipoff is when an item made with artificial fibers is described as "breathable." These are typically treated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a synthetic fluoropolymer

Items treated with flame-retardant chemicals,19 which includes a wide variety of baby items, padded furniture, mattresses, and pillows. Instead, opt for naturally less flammable materials such as leather, wool, and cotton

Fast food and carry out foods, as the wrappers are typically treated with PFCs

Microwave popcorn. PFOA may not only present in the inner coating of the bag, it also may migrate to the oil from the packaging during heating. Instead, use "old-fashioned" stovetop popcorn

Non-stick cookware and other treated kitchen utensils. Healthier options include ceramic and enameled cast iron cookware, both of which are durable, easy to clean (even the toughest cooked-on foods can be wiped away after soaking it in warm water), and completely inert, which means they won't release any harmful chemicals into your home. While some will recommend using aluminum, stainless steel, and copper cookware, I don't for the following reasons:

Aluminum is a strongly suspected causal factor in Alzheimer's disease, and stainless steel has alloys containing nickel, chromium, molybdenum, carbon. For those with nickel allergies, this may be a particularly important consideration. Copper cookware is also not recommended because most copper pans come lined with other metals, creating the same concerns noted above. (Copper cookware must be lined due to the possibility of copper poisoning.)

Oral-B Glide floss and any other personal care products containing PTFE or "fluoro" or "perfluoro" ingredients. The EWG has an excellent database called Skin Deep20 you can peruse to find healthier options

Sources and References

• ¹ CDC.gov Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, 2009
• ² Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, Public Health Statement for Perfluoroalkyls
• ³ EPA.gov, 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program
• ^4 7 Huffington Post May 1, 2015
• ⁵ PLoS ONE 10(4): e0123496
• ⁶ Huffington Post March 31, 2015
• ⁸ Environmental Working Group, May 15, 2003, “Canaries in the Kitchen: Teflon Toxicosis”
• ^9 10 Environmental Working Group May 15, 2003, “Canaries in the Kitchen: DuPont has Known for 50 Years”
• ^11 16 17 Environ Health Perspect 123:A107–A111, Madrid Statement
• ¹² Newser May 1, 2015
• ^13 14 Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.1509944
• ¹⁵ Environmental Working Group May 1, 2015
• ¹⁸ EWG’s Guide to Avoiding PFCS (PDF)
• ¹⁹ Clean Water Action, PFC Fact Sheet
• ²⁰ EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database

Source: http://articles.mercola.com

THE DEADLY ROADS: 2 KILLED IN FLORENCE, SC CRASH NEAR FIVE POINTS

JUNE 3, 2015

FLORENCE, SC (WBTW)

The Florence Police Department is investigating a deadly crash Wednesday morning.
The incident happened around 7:30 a.m. at Five Points near the intersection of Palmetto Street and Cashua Drive.  One of the vehicles involved was flipped over on the side.
Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken said that two people are dead in the crash.

This is a very busy intersection and traffic will most likely be delayed in the area.
News13 has a crew on the way to the scene and will update this story as soon as new information is made available.

Source: http://www.wbtw.com

SINCE 9/11/2001, WE HAVE LOST VERY FEW PEOPLE TO TERRORIST ACTS.  BUT WE LOST 500,000 PEOPLE ON THE DEADLY ROADS.  AN ADDITIONAL 5 MILLION HAVE BEEN INJURED.  OUR PRIORITIES ARE CLEARLY MISPLACED

UNITED STATES STILL HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH AND INJURY RATES IN THE WORLD: 34,000 DIE AND 2.5 MILLION INJURED EACH YEAR.

Despite the improvements in road safety, the United States has one of the highest death rates at about 1 person dead per 10,000 people. Unfortunately, only undeveloped countries have higher death rate.

Since 9/11/2001, we have lost very few people to terrorist acts.  But we lost 500,000 people on the deadly roads.  An additional 5 million have been injured.  Our spending priorities are clearly misplaced.  Investment in our road infrastructure and safety is what is needed, as the economic toll from all these deaths and injuries and property damage has suffocated our economy.

Thus far this year alone, we have lost 12,000 people and an additional 130,000 people have been injured.

Some states, such as Texas and West Virginia (sorry, WV, despite your tremendous progress in traffic safety, you are still at the top of the worst-death-rate list) have death rates of nearly 1.5 percent, i.e., fifty percent more people die compared to the national death rate.

Approximately 34,000 people are getting killed each year.  In the 1950s and 1960s, about 55,000 people used to die on the roads – so, there has been improvement in the number of dead. 

However, the number of injured is rising.  Roughly 2.5 million are injured (yes, you read it correctly – 2.5 million injured) per year.  That is, 1 percent (1%) of the population that is eligible to drive is injured every year.

Speeding, aggressive driving, tail gating, lane changes for no reason, pass on the left to make a quick right turn, no signals or late signaling, weaving through traffic, driving while impaired, driving while tired or sleepy, are just few of the traits of bad drivers.  The end result is always death or injury or a very close call.

There has been an increase of the number of deaths and injuries to pedestrians, cyclists, mopeds, and motorcyclists.  Motorcycles are less stable and less visible than cars and often have high performance capabilities. When motorcycles crash, their riders lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle, so they're more likely to be injured or killed. The federal government estimates that per mile traveled in 2012, the number of deaths on motorcycles was over 26 times the number in cars.

Unfortunately, there is a small number of drivers who are refusing to wait for a train to pass and they are trying to beat it, with often tragic consequences.

It's not worth the game of chicken.  The two, three or four minutes you will spend waiting for the train to pass is not greater than the time spent injuring yourself or your vehicle, or even loss of life.

So, in a nutshell, it is worse than a war zone out there.

So, please be safe and be on the lookout for aggressive drivers, weaving-through-the-traffic drivers, crazy drivers, reckless drivers, sick drivers, medical-condition drivers, sleepy drivers, negligent drivers, stupid drivers, careless drivers, drunk drivers, speeding drivers, drugged drivers, texting drivers, talking-on-the-phone drivers, looking-at-the-GPS drivers, hurry-hurry drivers, tailgating drivers, upset drivers, eating-while-driving drivers, putting-the-lipstick-on-while-driving drivers, elderly drivers, and so on.

As we always say: it is better to arrive late at your current destination, than to arrive early at your final destination.  Slow down at intersections, let the aggressive drivers go first, it does not worth it getting you or your family injured or killed.  

Drive safely.  Learn from these deadly accidents and slow down.  IF YOU MUST GO, THEN TAKE IT SLOW.