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MMS has an important role in bringing the production to meet the energy needs of the nation in a consistent and safe manner.  It is important for us to keep the infrastructure operating in good conditions as well as making sure they are reliable to meet the demands of the nation.  

When we are talking about the number of facilities offshore, there are about 4,000 different platforms, but when it comes to pipelines, there are about 34,000 miles of pipeline in the Gulf.

As far as preparations in anticipation of a storm coming into the gulf, companies of course monitor the weather closely.  They all have, for the most part, they have their own consultants that advise them on weather conditions and forecast as far as the possible track of the storm.   

If you notice, every time there is a storm in the Gulf, the price of oil goes up, the price of gas goes up, because they know there is going to be some impacts to the facilities to the pipeline infrastructure.  So it is very important that we try to do the best we can to minimize the impacts to those facilities.  

When a storm approaches the Gulf and if there is circumstances that the storm wave or force winds damage the pipeline, if the pipeline breaks, the release of the product as far as oil is concerned is going to be minimal because the pipeline, once the pressure equalizes, the external pressure with internal pressure, the flow is going to stop.

If there is a failure during a storm due to mudslides, which typically that is when the mudslide area is activities in the mouth of the river; pipelines are designed to fail safe. They are designed with a safety joint that will separate at that point and when it does there are check valves built into the safety joint that activated and when it separates, it isolates the product on either side of the pipeline. 

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Last Updated: 08/17/2007, 12:32 PM Central Time