"Appellate court reverses $45M verdict to Enbridge over 'rare' Romeoville oil spill caused by water line break... STATE COURT
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT• ILLINOIS' THIRD DISTRICT APPELLATE COURT• ENBRIDGE ENERGY PARTNERS• WILL COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT
By D.M. Herra
Nov 22, 2019
Saying there was no way a Romeoville business could have known its ruptured water line also would cause an oil spill, a state appeals panel has tossed out a $45 million verdict awarded by a jury to petroleum pipeline company Enbridge Energy to cover its costs in cleaning up a 2010 spill.
A three-justice panel of the Illinois Third District Appellate Court in downstate Ottawa found that a Will County judge had allowed inadmissible evidence, and without that evidence, there is no clear proof the village of Romeoville or defendant Northfield Block Company should be held liable for the damaged pipe. Justice Daniel L. Schmidt delivered the court's decision in the case, with concurrence from justices Robert L. Carter and Mary W. McDade
Enbridge had sued to recoup the millions it spent cleaning up an oil spill when the underground pipeline in southwest suburban Romeoville broke in 2010. When the area was excavated, it was found corrosion at the top of the water line had created a weak spot. A jet of water finally broke through, leaving a hole and striking the oil line only inches directly above. The water pressure blasted a hole in the oil line as well, creating the leak.
Both sides called expert witnesses to testify, all of whom called the occurrence “unusual” or “rare.” In the perfect storm of circumstances that created the conditions for the leak, a cathodic tape surrounding the outside of the oil pipeline was found to be torn in the spot where the leak occurred. The pipeline is protected from corrosion by a low-level electrical current, and the tape acts as an insulator, preventing the current from escaping. The torn tape allowed the electrical current to leak.
The current then bounced between the two pipes, causing corrosion to the uninsulated water line. Witnesses guessed the tape may have torn when the water line was installed beneath the oil line in 1977 by a predecessor to Northfield Block Company. The water line runs from the city’s water main to Northfield to provide an industrial water supply."...
Spills & Spills For The Keystone Pipeline
To clarify cause most people don’t understand just how BIG a real Olympic pool is
50 meters x 25m by 2m deep.... 660k gallons
TOXIC MYSTERY = CRUDE MISERY ALLEGEDLY & POTENTIALLY (ALL/POT)
... "SUBSCRIBE FOR $1/WEEK LOG IN CHICAGO NEWS COOPERATIVE
Nearby Oil Spill Highlights Hazards in Area’s Pipelines
Give this article
By Kari Lydersen
Sept. 16, 2010
The oil that leaked from a pipeline beneath a warehouse complex in suburban Romeoville for four days was equivalent to only several hours worth of what leaked from the BP gusher in the Gulf of Mexico."... https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/us/17cncoilspill.html?smid=url-share
"Appellate court reverses $45M verdict to Enbridge over 'rare' Romeoville oil spill caused by water line break... STATE COURT
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT• ILLINOIS' THIRD DISTRICT APPELLATE COURT• ENBRIDGE ENERGY PARTNERS• WILL COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT
By D.M. Herra
Nov 22, 2019
Saying there was no way a Romeoville business could have known its ruptured water line also would cause an oil spill, a state appeals panel has tossed out a $45 million verdict awarded by a jury to petroleum pipeline company Enbridge Energy to cover its costs in cleaning up a 2010 spill.
A three-justice panel of the Illinois Third District Appellate Court in downstate Ottawa found that a Will County judge had allowed inadmissible evidence, and without that evidence, there is no clear proof the village of Romeoville or defendant Northfield Block Company should be held liable for the damaged pipe. Justice Daniel L. Schmidt delivered the court's decision in the case, with concurrence from justices Robert L. Carter and Mary W. McDade
Enbridge had sued to recoup the millions it spent cleaning up an oil spill when the underground pipeline in southwest suburban Romeoville broke in 2010. When the area was excavated, it was found corrosion at the top of the water line had created a weak spot. A jet of water finally broke through, leaving a hole and striking the oil line only inches directly above. The water pressure blasted a hole in the oil line as well, creating the leak.
Both sides called expert witnesses to testify, all of whom called the occurrence “unusual” or “rare.” In the perfect storm of circumstances that created the conditions for the leak, a cathodic tape surrounding the outside of the oil pipeline was found to be torn in the spot where the leak occurred. The pipeline is protected from corrosion by a low-level electrical current, and the tape acts as an insulator, preventing the current from escaping. The torn tape allowed the electrical current to leak.
The current then bounced between the two pipes, causing corrosion to the uninsulated water line. Witnesses guessed the tape may have torn when the water line was installed beneath the oil line in 1977 by a predecessor to Northfield Block Company. The water line runs from the city’s water main to Northfield to provide an industrial water supply."...
https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/520395264-appellate-court-reverses-45m-verdict-to-enbridge-over-rare-romeoville-oil-spill-caused-by-water-line-break