10-18-2013 08:59 PM

North Dakota official says he wants to know whether Tesoro knew of pipeline problems


File photo of Tesoro Corp.'s headquarters in San Antonio. Dave Glatt, chief of North Dakota's Department of Health, is investigating whether Tesoro knew that its pipeline was at risk for leaks.




North Dakota officials want to determine whether Tesoro Corp. knew about potential problems with a pipeline that leaked more than 20,000 barrels of crude oil in a wheat field, the Associated Press reports.
Dave Glatt, chief of the state Department of Health’s environmental health section, told AP that he’s seeking more information about inspections conducted before the spill near Tioga, N.D., was reported Sept. 29.
“We have heard they may have found some anomalies in the metal but not necessarily holes,” Glatt told AP. “We have heard there were some potential problems identified.”
San Antonio-based Tesoro (NYSE: TSO) was unavailable for comment on the story Friday afternoon. However, in prior statements to the Business Journal, officials declined to speculate on the leak’s cause.
In a statement provided to AP, Tesoro said it used a robotic device to inspect the pipeline two weeks prior to the spill.
The company was awaiting results from the test when at the time the leak was reported, officials told AP.
Sanford Nowlin covers energy/utilities, transportation/aviation and manufacturing.


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