One of the largest explosions and fires in recent Texas pipeline history was caused Monday by an SUV driver who veered off a large Walmart parking lot in the Houston-area city of Deer Park. It seems that. The driver crashed through a fence and hit a natural gas pipeline valve, causing a fire that instantly destroyed the vehicle and potentially ruined the vehicle’s operator.
“I could feel the heat coming directly through the car window,” an alarmed nearby driver told the Houston Chronicle.
At least four people were injured and five homes were damaged in a fire linked to a pipeline owned by Energy Transfer, a company co-founded by politically connected billionaire Kelsey Warren. The situation could have been much worse. The shelter-in-place order issued Tuesday affected Walmart, an urgent care center and other busy stores along Spencer Highway, as well as more than 1,000 homes, San Jacinto College and other nearby schools. (Some homes and businesses near the fire were evacuated.) Because these types of rituals are so common in these areas, City of Deer Park reminds children of the steps to follow. He has released a video of an oversized turtle character in a costume named Wally, which he uses for the game. .
Within hours, Deer Park officials revealed that police and local FBI agents had found no initial evidence of an organized or “terrorist” attack and that “this appears to be an isolated incident.” did. But authorities could not say how quickly the fire, which was caused by natural gas flowing through the same ruptured pipeline, would be extinguished, with speculation that it could continue burning for several days.
Energy Transfer, which took three hours to issue its first statement and initially incorrectly reported there were no injuries, was not convinced. “The line is being isolated so that any residual product in the line can be safely burned off. At this time, there is no timeline for how long this process will take,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. Separately, he told reporters that the nearest shutoff valve to the fire was 20 miles away, meaning any remaining natural gas in that area would have to burn off before the fire could be extinguished.
The pipeline is overseen by the misnamed Railroad Commission of Texas, which said its safety inspectors would investigate. But short online postings suggested officials were more focused on other pipeline operators than on public safety. “The fire occurred in a pipeline corridor and the RRC has notified other pipeline operators in the corridor of the incident and is obtaining information on the measures they are taking to ensure the safety of their systems.” the report said.
Gerardo Perez, 25, a San Jacinto College student interviewed by the Chronicle, heard the explosion and worried about the long-term effects of the contamination. “That’s what I’m worried about,” he said. “It’s the air I breathe and it’s my home.”
Energy Transfer said in its own statement that air monitoring equipment was “in the process of being installed.” There has been no word on whether the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is providing assistance, but long-term air monitoring devices in the region already regularly report air pollutant emissions from chemical plants and refineries. I am doing it.
The towering fires that continued to burn Tuesday, as well as the price gouging by natural gas companies (including the one that owned the pipeline) in the wake of 2021’s Winter Storm Uri, are a sign that Texas is more concerned about safety than safety. Environmentalists say it shows the dangers of an emphasis on deregulation and development, and how that atmosphere is putting Texans at unnecessary risk.
Allyn West, a writer and editor focused on climate and the environment, notes that the same pipeline company provided natural gas for power generation during winter storm Uri “even as Texans froze over.” As a result, he wrote to X, “I gained $2.4 billion in wealth.” This windfall allows natural gas suppliers to charge as much as they want when demand spikes, as happened when other power plants in Uri failed, threatening rolling blackouts and killing people. This was made possible by the regulatory environment.
Even as the pipeline fire continues to rage through the bustling commercial areas of Deer Park and La Porte outside Houston, West warns Texans of the larger impact of the state’s lack of regulation. We urge you to consider this. “Perhaps this incident may be a bigger issue than the alleged negligence of one driver,” they wrote. “Maybe there’s a reason why Texas has too many schools and homes that need to be evacuated, too many parking lots, and too many Walmarts too close to flammable and dangerous pipelines.”
Warren, a billionaire who co-founded Energy Transfer in 1996, built the company from a 200-mile regional pipeline into a $54 billion empire, Politico reported. Along the way, the pipeline magnate has invested large sums of money in campaign coffers to support politicians with low support. The same goes for campaigns like Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who raised $1 million from Warren in June 2021.
Energy Transfer, meanwhile, has reported 53 accidents related to its pipelines since 2021 and expects to have 8 accidents by 2024, according to a search of Railroad Commission records by a reporter from Houston’s Channel 2. The incident was reported to have resulted in damages of $1.4 million. The last major pipeline explosion and fire in or near the greater Houston area was in 2022. However, there is no record of any significant regulatory action by the state.
Energy Transfer did not respond to Texas Watchdog questions about its safety record, but issued a new statement Tuesday. “The fire continues to burn this morning and this is the safest way to handle the incident,” a spokesperson said in an email. “Air quality monitoring continues to show no impact on air quality. Affected landowners are being treated and accommodation provided in area hotels. Evacuation orders have been lifted. This situation will continue until
The company pledged to work with law enforcement and local authorities to “safely manage the response and cooperate with investigations.” He also urged affected homeowners to call 855-430-4491 or email. (email protected) With a request for assistance.
