Update4: Pipeline Rupture in Illinois on 8/10/2008

A 20-inch pipeline carrying crude oil from Illinois to Kentucky ruptured sometime Sunday morning. There was no fire. Latest estimates put the amount of oil that has escaped at 5000 bbl (210,000 gallons). The pipeline is owned by Marathon Oil Co.

Robert Calmus, a spokesman for Marathon stated that the pipeline was shut down as quickly as monitors indicated there had been a sudden drop in pressure. "Of course there was some residual pressure in the line," Calmus said. "Our emergency response team is on the scene, and we're still assessing the situation."

Residual pressure? Somebody should inform Mr. Calmus that our expert says that such pressure doesn't exist.

The Evansville Courier & Press carries a brief article on the incident.

The same newspaper offered an update today.

In a later update, the newspaper reports that the EPA has dispatched investigators to the site of the rupture. Additional details are contained in a new article.

In a follow-up, the newspaper reports on the broader implication of the incident. Find the article here.

On October 4, 2008, a newspaper reports that the original estimate of the amount of oil lost during the pipeline breach have been significantly revised upward. See the latest here.