Here in the United States there are more than 2 million miles of pipeline ferrying oil, gasoline, and natural gas to consumers. The average amount of oil released from a pipeline accident in 1998 had risen to 45,000 gallons nationally. According to the Office of Pipeline Safety, there were 3,917 liquid fuel spills and natural gas leaks from 1990 to 1999, roughly one a day, in the US alone. If this can happen in a country with arguably the highest safety standards for such projects, imagine the risks to communities around the world with exposed and aging oil pipelines crisscrossing their lands. Consider, too, the threats people face when they try to organize popular support for vast improvements to environmental safety standards.
Pipelines are time bombs waiting to explode.
This is why we have chosen to highlight the environmental and human rights costs associated with pipeline projects as the focus of our Earth Day event. We call on companies that own and pipelines take concrete steps to improve the safety of pipelines and prevent hazardous spills that put people, communities, and the environment at risk. We also urge governments to increase their oversight of pipelines and consider concerns raised by affected local communities when decisions on pipeline projects are made.