SEATAC, Wash. — Crews are continuing their work to locate and fix a leak on the Olympic Pipeline through the weekend as pressure for a solution mounts.
Now, the U.S. Senate has gotten involved.
The pipeline remained shut down Saturday.
According to British Petroleum (BP), crews have excavated 100 feet of the pipeline but still haven’t found the source of the leak. There is no timeline for its reopening.
Crews have set up multiple worksites on a tract of farmland in Snohomish County. KIRO 7 crews spotted a flurry of activity around a row of portable buildings involving excavators, a crane and several trucks.
“These types of failures cannot become routine,” Bill Caram, executive director of the cause of the leak, said.
Caram’s nonprofit watchdog reports there have been four “significant incidents” involving the Olympic Pipeline in less than three years.
“With this pipeline aging, I worry that this could be a sign of some deferred maintenance and integrity issues,” he said.
The Pipeline Safety Trust is not the only entity after answers.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell sent a letter to BP asking the company to brief the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on the leak.
In her letter, she claimed a blueberry farmer discovered the leak. She also poses a series of questions about the incident, including the cause of the leak.
Earlier this week, Gov. Bob Ferguson warned that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport could run out of fuel by Saturday unless measures were taken.
He declared an emergency and lifted restrictions on tanker trucks to keep the fuel flowing despite the shutdown.
An SEA spokesperson said the efforts appear to be working and reports no impacts on operations.
In a statement, Seattle-headquartered Alaska Airlines told KIRO 7 that it doesn’t anticipate any Thanksgiving flights being affected.
In addition to fueling from the trucks, the airline has Seattle-bound flights that bring extra fuel.
Delta Airlines also reported no interruptions.
The airlines may have the situation figured out, but the Pipeline Safety Trust is more worried about the potential environmental and health impacts.
“Pipeline companies need to be accountable,” Caram said. “And if they’re not accountable to the Senate and the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, who are they accountable to?”
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