GREKA ENERGY — Gas transmission and gathering — incident on 2002-07-08

Current as of 2002-07-08 Government source

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety AdministrationOfficial agency material

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Gas transmission and gathering incident in SANTA MARIA, CA. Reported cause: 9. Reported consequences: 0 fatalities, 0 injuries, $0 reported property damage. Operator-reported incident data submitted to PHMSA, generally within 30 days. Records may be supplemented or corrected and do not represent final agency causal findings.

Report number: 20020061.

Operator ID: 31650.

Reported incident date: 7/8/2002.

Cause detail: THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE

Cause detail: A BACKHOE REMOVING UNOCAL'S 12" PIPELINE WEST OF GREKA ENERGY'S SUEY JUNCTION VALVE BOX BROKE A 1" LINE COMING OFF GREKA'S 6" GAS PIPELINE. THIS 1" LINE WAS UNKNOWN BOTH TO GREKA AND UNOCAL. THIS LINE LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN HOT-TOPPED FOR FUEL WITHOU ANY APPROVALS. GREKA WAS NOTIFIED BY THE WORK CREW WHEN THE LINE BROKE AND GREKA SHUT DOWN ITS COMPRESSOR SO A PLUG COULD BE INSTALLED. IT TOOK ABOUT 2 HOURS TO ACCOMPLISH THE REPAIRS AND THE COMPRESSOR WAS TURNED BACK ON.

PHMSA trend classification: not significant, not serious.

PHMSA standardized cause: EXCAVATION DAMAGE — THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE.

PHMSA indexed costs: $0 reported total cost, $0 in 1984 dollars, $0 in current-year dollars.

PHMSA trend flags, standardized causes, and indexed costs are analytical fields added to operator-reported incident data. They do not represent final agency causal findings.

This material provides agency context. It does not replace binding regulatory text, and its legal effect depends on the underlying authority and facts.