In 2 Years, Company Behind DAPL Reported 69 Accidents, Polluting Rivers in 4 States

By Yessenia Funes Feb 06, 2017

Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline reported 69 accidents in the U.S. between 2015 and 2016, according to the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, a state-based environmental organization.  

A report the organization released today (February 6), with partnership from a researcher from DisasterMap.net, looks at reports Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) filed to the National Response Center, a federal establishment where companies and individuals can report oil spills or chemical releases. The report lists 42 oil spills, 11 natural gas spills, nine gasoline spills, three propane spills, two “other” spills and two “unknown” spills. The 69 accidents led to eight injuries and five evacuations.

The frequency of incidents resulted in nearly three accidents a month. “These are just the accidents that are reported,” the study states. Most occurred in Texas, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma at pipelines, storage tanks and onshore petroleum facilities. Over half resulted from pipeline issues, however, totaling 111,559 gallons of contaminant.

ETP’s incidents have also resulted in drinking water contamination—the main concern of the Indigenous opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Delaware River faced particular spillage with 11 accidents in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to the report.

If the company succeeds in constructing the proposed 162-mile long Bayou Bridge Pipeline, which would connect refineries in Louisiana with Nederland, Texas, the Brigade worries about the integrity of the Atchafalaya, Calcasieu, Vermillion and Mermentau rivers.

“Sunoco and ETP accidents stretch from Texas to Massachusetts,” said Dr. Ezra Boyd, DisasterMap.net’s geographer who compiled the data. “While these accidents cover a large area of the map, the Bayou Bridge pipeline would put an entirely new area at risk: south central Louisiana, including the Atchafalaya Basin.”

Find the full, detailed report here.