MSRC is not alone. In 1992, the governors of the Great Lakes states and the CEOs of six oil companies formed the Great Lakes Spill Protection Initiative to ensure that the Great Lakes are well protected against environmental damage from spills of crude oil or petroleum products. Pipelines carry crude oil from wells in the lower 48 states, Alaska and Canada. And they transport over half of all refined petroleum products. Pipeline companies educate the public, government and excavators on how to avoid damage to underground pipelines.
Government regulations are extensive.
But pipeline companies, like other sectors of the petroleum industry, go beyond what is required to protect the environment. And 26 times a year, aerial patrols inspect pipeline routes for encroachments by developers. Federal laws set requirements, and API standards provide the industry with additional guidance to get the job done safely. Refinery releases into the environment of chemicals classified as carcinogens in EPA's annual Toxics Release Inventory fell by 46 percent between 1988 and 1995 to less than 4.8 million pounds. Just between 1994 and 1995, there was a 29 percent decrease.