Restoring pipeline came first in MS

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: mphee <mphee () jump-technologies com>
Date: September 12, 2005 4:29:46 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Fw: [Biofuel] Restoring pipeline came first in MS



---------- Forwarded Message -----------
From: Paul S Cantrell <pcantrell () gmail com>
To: Biofuel () sustainablelists org
Sent: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 13:02:52 -0400
Subject: [Biofuel] Restoring pipeline came first in MS

A story of the white house ordering that power be restored to power
substations serving pipeline pumps in Mississippi and take priority over
hospitals and water systems. Since when is gasoline & diesel delivery  
1500+
miles north more important than clean water and hospital care in the  
hours
following a major hurricane? I find this disgusting. The cooperatives
restored the power, despite the fact that the federal government has  
zero
authority over an instate power coop like Southern Pine Electric  
Power. The
coop is self-regulated by its board of directors.

Power crews diverted
Restoring pipeline came first
September 11, 2005
 By Nikki Davis Maute

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ 
20050911/NEWS05/509110304

 Shortly after Hurricane Katrina roared through South Mississippi  
knocking
out electricity and communication systems, the White House ordered power
restored to a pipeline that sends fuel to the Northeast.

That order - to restart two power substations in Collins that serve  
Colonial
Pipeline Co. - delayed efforts by at least 24 hours to restore power  
to two
rural hospitals and a number of water systems in the Pine Belt.

At the time, gasoline was in short supply across the country because of
Katrina. Prices increased dramatically and lines formed at pumps  
across the
South.

"I considered it a presidential directive to get those pipelines  
operating,"
said Jim Compton, general manager of the South Mississippi Electric  
Power
Association - which distributes power that rural electric  
cooperatives sell
to consumers and businesses.

"I reluctantly agreed to pull half our transmission line crews off other
projects and made getting the transmission lines to the Collins  
substations
a priority," Compton said. "Our people were told to work until it was  
done.

"They did it in 16 hours, and I consider the effort unprecedented."

Katrina slammed into South Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana on  
Aug. 29,
causing widespread devastation and plunging most of the area - including
regional medical centers and rural hospitals - into darkness.

The storm also knocked out two power substations in Collins, just  
north of
Hattiesburg. The substations were crucial to Atlanta-based Colonial
Pipeline, which moves gasoline and diesel fuel from Texas, through  
Louisiana
and Mississippi and up to the Northeast.

"We were led to believe a national emergency was created when the  
pipelines
were shut down," Compton said.

*White House call*

Dan Jordan, manager of Southern Pine Electric Power Association, said  
Vice
President Dick Cheney's office called and left voice mails twice shortly
after the storm struck, saying the Collins substations needed power  
restored
immediately.

Jordan dated the first call the night of Aug. 30 and the second call the
morning of Aug. 31. Southern Pine supplies electricity to the substation
that powers the Colonial pipeline.

Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Mike Callahan said the U.S.
Department of Energy called him on Aug. 31. Callahan said department
officials said opening the fuel line was a national priority.

Cheney's office referred calls about the pipeline to the Department of
Homeland Security. Calls there were referred to Kirk Whitworth, who  
would
not take a telephone message and required questions in the form of an
e-mail.

Susan Castiglione, senior manager of corporate and public affairs with
Colonial Pipeline, did not return phone calls.

Compton said workers who were trying to restore substations that  
power two
rural hospitals - Stone County Hospital in Wiggins and George County
Hospital in Lucedale - worked instead on the Colonial Pipeline project.

The move caused power to be restored at least 24 hours later than  
planned.

Mindy Osborn, emergency room coordinator at Stone County Hospital,  
said the
power was not restored until six days after the storm on Sept. 4. She  
didn't
have the number of patients who were hospitalized during the week  
after the
storm.

"Oh, yes, 24 hours earlier would have been a help," Osborn said.

Compton said workers who were trying to restore power to some rural  
water
systems also were taken off their jobs and placed on the Colonial  
Pipeline
project. Compton did not name specific water systems affected.

*Callahan's visit*

Callahan is one of three elected public service commissioners who  
oversee
most public utilities in the state. Commissioners, however, have no
authority over rural electric power cooperatives.

Nevertheless, Callahan said he drove to Compton's office on U.S. 49  
North in
Hattiesburg to tell him about the call from the Department of Energy.
Callahan said he would support whatever decision Compton made.

Callahan said energy officials told him gasoline and diesel fuel  
needed to
flow through the pipeline to avert a national crisis from the  
inability to
meet fuel needs in the Northeast.

Callahan said the process of getting the pipelines flowing would be
difficult and that there was a chance the voltage required to do so  
would
knock out the system - including power to Wesley Medical Center in
Hattiesburg.

With Forrest General Hospital operating on generators, Wesley was the  
only
hospital operating with full electric power in the Pine Belt in the days
following Katrina.

"Our concern was that if Wesley went down, it would be a national  
crisis for
Mississippi," Callahan said. "We knew it would take three to four  
days to
get Forrest General Hospital's power restored and we did not want to  
lose
Wesley."

Compton, though, followed the White House's directive.

Nathan Brown, manager of power supply for the electric association, was
responsible for overseeing the delicate operation of starting the
5,000-horsepower pumps at the pipeline.

Engineers with Southern Co., the parent company of Mississippi Power  
Co.,
did a dual analysis of what it would take to restore power and Brown  
worked
with Southern Co. engineers on the best and quickest way to restore  
power.

Work began at 10 a.m. Sept. 1 and power was restored at 2 a.m. Sept.  
2 - a
16-hour job.

*Night work*

A good bit of the work took place at night.

Line foreman Matt Ready was in charge of one of the teams that worked to
power the substations and the pipeline. Ready's shift started at 6 a.m.
Sept. 1; he received word about the job four hours later and saw it to
completion.

"We were told to stay with it until we got power restored," Ready  
said. "We
had real safety issues because there were fires in the trees on the  
lines
and broken power poles."

Ready described working on the lines in the dark like attempting to  
clear
fallen trees out of a yard with a flashlight and a chain saw.

"Everything was dangerous," he said.

Ready said the crew members did not learn they were restoring power to
pipelines until after the job was done.

How did they feel about that?

"Is this on the record?" Ready asked. "Well, then, we are all glad we  
were
able to help out."

Compton said he was happy to support the national effort. But he said  
it was
a difficult decision to make because of the potential impact in the  
region
had the plan not worked and the area's power restoration was set back  
days.

"It was my decision to balance what was most important to people in  
South
Mississippi with this all-of-a-sudden national crisis of not enough  
gas or
diesel fuel," Compton said.

"In the future, the federal government needs to give us guidelines if  
this
is such a national emergency so that I can work that in my plans."

--
Thanks,
Paul

He's the kind of a guy who lights up a room just by flicking a switch
------- End of Forwarded Message -------




A story of the white house ordering that power be restored to power  
substations serving pipeline pumps in Mississippi and take priority  
over hospitals and water systems.  Since when is gasoline & diesel  
delivery 1500+ miles north more important than clean water and  
hospital care in the hours following a major hurricane?  I find this  
disgusting.  The cooperatives restored the power, despite the fact  
that the federal government has zero authority over an instate power  
coop like Southern Pine Electric Power.  The coop is self-regulated  
by its board of directors.

Power crews diverted
Restoring pipeline came first
September 11, 2005
By Nikki Davis Maute

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ 
20050911/NEWS05/509110304

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina roared through South Mississippi  
knocking out electricity and communication systems, the White House  
ordered power restored to a pipeline that sends fuel to the Northeast.
That order - to restart two power substations in Collins that serve  
Colonial Pipeline Co. - delayed efforts by at least 24 hours to  
restore power to two rural hospitals and a number of water systems in  
the Pine Belt.

At the time, gasoline was in short supply across the country because  
of Katrina. Prices increased dramatically and lines formed at pumps  
across the South.

"I considered it a presidential directive to get those pipelines  
operating," said Jim Compton, general manager of the South  
Mississippi Electric Power Association - which distributes power that  
rural electric cooperatives sell to consumers and businesses.

"I reluctantly agreed to pull half our transmission line crews off  
other projects and made getting the transmission lines to the Collins  
substations a priority," Compton said. "Our people were told to work  
until it was done.

"They did it in 16 hours, and I consider the effort unprecedented."

Katrina slammed into South Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana on  
Aug. 29, causing widespread devastation and plunging most of the area  
- including regional medical centers and rural hospitals - into  
darkness.

The storm also knocked out two power substations in Collins, just  
north of Hattiesburg. The substations were crucial to Atlanta-based  
Colonial Pipeline, which moves gasoline and diesel fuel from Texas,  
through Louisiana and Mississippi and up to the Northeast.

"We were led to believe a national emergency was created when the  
pipelines were shut down," Compton said.

White House call

Dan Jordan, manager of Southern Pine Electric Power Association, said  
Vice President Dick Cheney's office called and left voice mails twice  
shortly after the storm struck, saying the Collins substations needed  
power restored immediately.

Jordan dated the first call the night of Aug. 30 and the second call  
the morning of Aug. 31. Southern Pine supplies electricity to the  
substation that powers the Colonial pipeline.

Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Mike Callahan said the U.S.  
Department of Energy called him on Aug. 31. Callahan said department  
officials said opening the fuel line was a national priority.

Cheney's office referred calls about the pipeline to the Department  
of Homeland Security. Calls there were referred to Kirk Whitworth,  
who would not take a telephone message and required questions in the  
form of an e-mail.

Susan Castiglione, senior manager of corporate and public affairs  
with Colonial Pipeline, did not return phone calls.

Compton said workers who were trying to restore substations that  
power two rural hospitals - Stone County Hospital in Wiggins and  
George County Hospital in Lucedale - worked instead on the Colonial  
Pipeline project.

The move caused power to be restored at least 24 hours later than  
planned.

Mindy Osborn, emergency room coordinator at Stone County Hospital,  
said the power was not restored until six days after the storm on  
Sept. 4. She didn't have the number of patients who were hospitalized  
during the week after the storm.

"Oh, yes, 24 hours earlier would have been a help," Osborn said.

Compton said workers who were trying to restore power to some rural  
water systems also were taken off their jobs and placed on the  
Colonial Pipeline project. Compton did not name specific water  
systems affected.

Callahan's visit

Callahan is one of three elected public service commissioners who  
oversee most public utilities in the state. Commissioners, however,  
have no authority over rural electric power cooperatives.

Nevertheless, Callahan said he drove to Compton's office on U.S. 49  
North in Hattiesburg to tell him about the call from the Department  
of Energy. Callahan said he would support whatever decision Compton  
made.

Callahan said energy officials told him gasoline and diesel fuel  
needed to flow through the pipeline to avert a national crisis from  
the inability to meet fuel needs in the Northeast.

Callahan said the process of getting the pipelines flowing would be  
difficult and that there was a chance the voltage required to do so  
would knock out the system - including power to Wesley Medical Center  
in Hattiesburg.

With Forrest General Hospital operating on generators, Wesley was the  
only hospital operating with full electric power in the Pine Belt in  
the days following Katrina.

"Our concern was that if Wesley went down, it would be a national  
crisis for Mississippi," Callahan said. "We knew it would take three  
to four days to get Forrest General Hospital's power restored and we  
did not want to lose Wesley."

Compton, though, followed the White House's directive.

Nathan Brown, manager of power supply for the electric association,  
was responsible for overseeing the delicate operation of starting the  
5,000-horsepower pumps at the pipeline.

Engineers with Southern Co., the parent company of Mississippi Power  
Co., did a dual analysis of what it would take to restore power and  
Brown worked with Southern Co. engineers on the best and quickest way  
to restore power.

Work began at 10 a.m. Sept. 1 and power was restored at 2 a.m. Sept.  
2 - a 16-hour job.

Night work

A good bit of the work took place at night.

Line foreman Matt Ready was in charge of one of the teams that worked  
to power the substations and the pipeline. Ready's shift started at 6  
a.m. Sept. 1; he received word about the job four hours later and saw  
it to completion.

"We were told to stay with it until we got power restored," Ready  
said. "We had real safety issues because there were fires in the  
trees on the lines and broken power poles."

Ready described working on the lines in the dark like attempting to  
clear fallen trees out of a yard with a flashlight and a chain saw.

"Everything was dangerous," he said.

Ready said the crew members did not learn they were restoring power  
to pipelines until after the job was done.

How did they feel about that?

"Is this on the record?" Ready asked. "Well, then, we are all glad we  
were able to help out."

Compton said he was happy to support the national effort. But he said  
it was a difficult decision to make because of the potential impact  
in the region had the plan not worked and the area's power  
restoration was set back days.

"It was my decision to balance what was most important to people in  
South Mississippi with this all-of-a-sudden national crisis of not  
enough gas or diesel fuel," Compton said.

"In the future, the federal government needs to give us guidelines if  
this is such a national emergency so that I can work that in my plans."


--
Thanks,
Paul

He's the kind of a guy who lights up a room just by flicking a switch
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