TEPPCO, CMS ENERGY & MARATHON ASHLAND CENTENNIAL PIPELINE PROJECT

TEPPCO (Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Company), CMS Energy and Marathon Ashland converted a Trunkline Gas Company natural gas pipeline to carry refined petroleum products from Louisiana to Illinois, and built 17 above-ground breakout storage tanks near Creal Springs in Williamson County, Illinois, to hold 84 million gallons of  petroleum fuels for delivery by pipeline to northern Illinois and the eastern states.

They put petroleum fuel storage tanks on this ridge in Williamson County, Illinois.

THE EARTHQUAKES

The pipeline and tanks are in danger from the New Madrid seismic zone, site of the quakes of 1811 - 1812,  a series of the strongest earthquakes to ever hit the U.S.  And the USGS says there is still a "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" .  Because of the soil structure New Madrid earthquakes cause more damage for a greater distance than earthquakes of the same magnitude in California. Centennial's hilltop location is surrounded by fault systems: Ste. Genevieve, Wabash Valley,  Shawneetown-Rough Creek and the Cottage Grove Fault System.  Of more significance is the Barnes Creek system, 35 miles away. Barnes Creek is younger than the others, which indicates that in geologically recent times older faults have moved.  For investors in the Centennial project, an earthquake could send their investment up in smoke - a financial disaster - but for the families who live downhill from Centennial's tanks, that earthquake could send 84 million gallons of volatile fuels rolling downhill over them - a human catastrophe.  Shouldn't TEPPCO, CMS Energy and Marathon Ashland have done some earthquake research before converting this pipeline and building on this site?

THE PIPELINE

ON JULY 1, 1995, THIS TRUNKLINE PIPELINE (WHICH GOES UNDER THE LAKE OF EGYPT) RUPTURED NEAR TUNNEL HILL, ILLINOIS, ONLY A FEW MILES SOUTH OF THE LAKE OF EGYPT. (Click to see larger picture of explosion taken by a WWII veteran/Navy retiree while fishing; use browser back button to return)

The pipeline Centennial converted is nearly 50 years old!  TEPPCO promised a safety test, but in August, 2000, a 50 year old line exploded in New Mexico - and it had just passed a safety test. The Trunkline pipeline had 20 reported accidents from 1985 through 1999. It runs under wetlands and national forest and under the Lake of Egypt which is a retirement community, a tourist destination, and a wildlife haven. The Lake of Egypt is also the drinking water source for an area of nearly 250 square miles. Why is this important? As pipelines age, they leak and they spill. The EPA has noted increasing detections of MTBE (a toxic chemical gasoline additive) in wells and surface waters.  California alone has more than 10,000 contaminated sites, and pollution from leaks has forced the shutdown of drinking water wells in numerous towns.  There is now no affordable way to remove MTBE from water, and it is estimated by the Association of California Water Agencies that treatment for each polluted water well could cost more than $1,000,000.00. What  happens to the people, the lake and the wildlife in the Lake of Egypt area if this old pipeline ruptures under or near the lake while carrying gasoline or jet fuel?

THE TANKS

TEPPCO, CMS Energy and Marathon Ashland (Centennial) built their breakout storage tanks (50' high and 200' in diameter) to hold 84,000,000 gallons of gasoline and jet fuels on top of a ridge in southeastern Williamson County, Illinois.  This ridge drains into Little Cana Creek, Cana Creek, the South Fork Saline and then on into the Ohio River; it also drains into rural water wells.  According to the ELA many of the 700,000 aboveground storage tanks leak undetected for years because of floor failure. In rural Jackson County, Indiana, gas, diesel and jet fuels from Texas Eastern Products tank leaks polluted drinking water wells of the homes surrounding the site.  Shouldn't the Williamson County construction have been placed on flatland in a "brownfield" instead of on a hill above homes, water wells, streams and rivers?

THE HEALTH

In its application for an air pollution permit, Centennial admits that it will emit 83 tons of pollution per year. The American Lung Association says asthma rates are soaring in neighborhoods near refineries and petroleum tank farms.  In Austin, Texas, Chevron and five other oil companies were forced to shut down an existing tank farm because citizens living near the tanks suffered respiratory problems, nosebleeds and rashes, and the tanks had leaked significant amounts of gasoline and jet fuel into the groundwater.  Should these big oil companies risk the lives and health of families when there are alternatives?

THE ECONOMICS (Remember ENRON?)

Who's hurt by this "tank farm"?  Centennial has converted a natural gas pipeline to petroleum fuels, leaving less natural gas to make anhydrous ammonia for farmers, to supply businesses, and to heat and cool homes. Investors also need to worry. The Trunkline pipeline had 20 reported accidents from 3/25/85 to 8/14/99; there were 6 accidents from 1985 through 1992 (8 years) and 14 accidents from 1993 through 1999 (7 years).  The company estimated property losses of $1,810,000.00 for the first 8 years and property losses of $4,610,500.00 for the last 7 years.  How many more accidents will there be as this pipeline gets even older? It looks like everyone loses - except Centennial!

Illinois EPA wetlands protection