HOUSTON, Nov 10, 2004 Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, reported Wednesday that it likely will be later today before it can assess damage to its San Jose, Calif.,
products pipeline, which was struck by a third-party contractor working for the East Bay Municipal Utility
District on its water project Tuesday afternoon. The incident occurred in Walnut Creek, Calif., and resulted
in a product release, explosion and fire. KMP promptly shut down the pipeline and notified appropriate
regulatory agencies. Shortly following the incident, local authorities evacuated the immediate area and responded to reported injuries. The 10-inch pipeline was transporting gasoline at the time of the incident.

Once the fire department and Cal-OSHA provide permission to enter the site, KMP will use vacuum trucks to remove gasoline from the pipeline, assess the damage to the pipeline and develop a strategy to repair the line and place it back into service as soon as possible. It is premature to estimate when the pipeline will resume operations, but it likely will be shut down for at least two days. The approximately 60-mile San Jose pipeline transports gasoline, jet fuel and diesel from Concord to San Jose. No immediate supply issues are anticipated in the area served by this pipeline, and KMP has notified its customers of the incident so they can begin making alternative plans to deliver their products. Because of the proximity of San Jose to Bay Area refineries and alternative fuel supplies, products can be trucked into the market. In addition, a major oil company has a proprietary pipeline that delivers refined petroleum products to San Jose. The San Jose airport is believed to have jet fuel inventory of about 10 days.


A construction worker who was burned when an underground fuel pipeline exploded has died, the third confirmed fatality from the fiery accident.
A construction crew struck the petroleum pipeline Tuesday, sparking an explosion and fire that burned several nearby buildings and shot flames high in the air.
Two additional workers were missing and presumed dead and four others remained hospitalized with moderate to severe burns.
The missing workers are believed to be trapped inside a
15-foot-wide water pipe they were welding when the line was hit, said Steve Maiero, a spokesman for the Contra Costa Fire Prevention District.
Firefighters had hoped to enter the ditch on Wednesday, but after residual fuel and vapors from the severed pipeline reignited at least twice, authorities determined it wasn't safe and postponed the recovery effort until Thursday.
Kinder Morgan employees were at the site Wednesday trying to cap the line and to drain any remaining fuel, said Brad Rovanpera, a spokesman for the City of Walnut Creek.
All of the victims were thought to have been members of the crew working on a water pipe replacement project for the East Bay Municipal Utility District.