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Journalism in the Public Interest

Pipeline Safety Tracker

Find the Accidents Near You

Montana

71
Incidents

2
Fatalities

11
Injuries

$154M
Property Damages

23
Gas Incidents

48
Hazardous Liquid Incidents

Read the Montana Pipeline profile from the US DOT

Pipeline Incidents by Cause

'86

1986

6 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 33%

Excavation Damage : 17%

Corrosion : 33%

All Other Causes : 17%

'87

1987

2 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 50%

Excavation Damage : 50%

'88

1988

5 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 40%

Excavation Damage : 60%

'89

1989

7 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 57%

Excavation Damage : 29%

All Other Causes : 14%

'90

1990

1 incidents. Causes:

Incorrect Operation : 100%

'91

1991

3 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 33%

Excavation Damage : 67%

'92

1992

3 incidents. Causes:

Incorrect Operation : 33%

All Other Causes : 67%

'93

1993

3 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 67%

All Other Causes : 33%

'94

1994

5 incidents. Causes:

Natural Force Damage : 20%

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 60%

All Other Causes : 20%

'95

1995

2 incidents. Causes:

Other Outside Force Damage : 50%

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 50%

'96

1996

4 incidents. Causes:

Natural Force Damage : 25%

Excavation Damage : 75%

'97

1997

2 incidents. Causes:

Natural Force Damage : 50%

Corrosion : 50%

'98

1998

2 incidents. Causes:

Natural Force Damage : 50%

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 50%

'99

1999

1 incidents. Causes:

Excavation Damage : 100%

'00

2000

3 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 33%

Incorrect Operation : 33%

Excavation Damage : 33%

'01

2001

1 incidents. Causes:

Excavation Damage : 100%

'02

2002

2 incidents. Causes:

Excavation Damage : 100%

'03

2003

1 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 100%

'04

2004

1 incidents. Causes:

Excavation Damage : 100%

'05

2005

1 incidents. Causes:

Excavation Damage : 100%

'07

2007

2 incidents. Causes:

Corrosion : 50%

All Other Causes : 50%

'08

2008

3 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 33%

Excavation Damage : 33%

All Other Causes : 33%

'09

2009

3 incidents. Causes:

Natural Force Damage : 33%

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 67%

'10

2010

2 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 50%

Excavation Damage : 50%

'11

2011

4 incidents. Causes:

Natural Force Damage : 25%

Material Weld Equipment Failure: 50%

All Other Causes : 25%

'12

2012

2 incidents. Causes:

Material Weld Equipment Failure : 50%

All Other Causes : 50%

= on the map

More on this Data

The map displays only "significant incidents," defined by PHMSA, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, as those that caused either a death or serious injury, cost more than $50,000, released more than 50 barrels of liquid, or caused a fire or explosion (see the official definition here). It includes incidents through Sept. 28, 2012. Many incidents lack sufficient location data and do not appear on the map.
Source: PHMSA

Date Operator Fatalities Injuries Property Damage Cause
March 20, 1986 Enbridge Pipelines (North Dakota) Llc 0 0 $357 Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
March 29, 1986 Continental Pipeline Co 0 0 $41.5K Miscellaneous Cause
April 29, 1986 Cenex Pipeline Llc 0 0 $0 External Corrosion
May 3, 1986 Montana Power Co 0 0 $286K External Corrosion
Sept. 3, 1986 Yellowstone Pipeline Co 0 0 $89.4K Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Sept. 4, 1986 Farmers Union Central Exchange Inc Cenex Pipelin 0 0 $0 Third Party Excavation Damage
July 3, 1987 Yellowstone Pipeline Co 0 0 $8,708 Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Sept. 29, 1987 Farmers Union Central Exchange Inc Cenex Pipelin 0 0 $78.4K Operator/Contractor Excavation Damage
Jan. 21, 1988 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $8,442 Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Aug. 28, 1988 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $2,532 Operator/Contractor Excavation Damage
Sept. 27, 1988 Yellowstone Pipeline Co 0 0 $94.6K Third Party Excavation Damage
Oct. 9, 1988 Yellowstone Pipeline Co 0 0 $317K Third Party Excavation Damage
Nov. 10, 1988 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $28.7K Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Jan. 28, 1989 Farmers Union Central Exchange Inc Cenex Pipelin 0 0 $28.4K Third Party Excavation Damage
March 21, 1989 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $4,876 Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
April 9, 1989 Montana Dakota Utilities Co 0 2 $1.63M Miscellaneous Cause
Sept. 14, 1989 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $244K Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Oct. 5, 1989 Texaco Pipeline Inc 0 0 $1,625 Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Nov. 2, 1989 Texaco Pipeline Inc 0 0 $812 Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Dec. 16, 1989 Montana Dakota Utilities Co 0 1 $162 Third Party Excavation Damage
Dec. 24, 1990 Exxonmobil Pipeline Co 0 0 $15.7K Unspecified Incorrect Operation
March 27, 1991 Texaco Pipeline Inc 0 0 $10.6K Malfunction Of Control/Relief Equipment
May 10, 1991 Montana Power Co 0 0 $220K Third Party Excavation Damage
Dec. 5, 1991 Enbridge Pipelines (North Dakota) Llc 0 0 $37.8K Third Party Excavation Damage
Feb. 4, 1992 Shell Pipeline Company Lp 0 0 $98.7K Miscellaneous Cause
April 15, 1992 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $88.4K Miscellaneous Cause
Aug. 11, 1992 Shelby Gas Association 0 2 $147 Unspecified Incorrect Operation
Jan. 14, 1993 Yellowstone Pipeline Co 0 0 $720K Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Jan. 22, 1993 Great Falls Gas Co 0 1 $0 Miscellaneous Cause
March 1, 1993 Belle Fourche Pipeline Co 0 0 $21.6K Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Jan. 10, 1994 Shell Pipeline Company Lp 0 0 $4,513 Malfunction Of Control/Relief Equipment
Feb. 22, 1994 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $39.5K Miscellaneous Cause
April 9, 1994 Texaco Trading & Transportation Inc 0 0 $6,346 Temperature
April 15, 1994 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $84.6K Malfunction Of Control/Relief Equipment
June 15, 1994 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $282K Unspecified Pipe Body Or Seam
Nov. 1, 1995 Montana Dakota Utilities Co 0 0 $293K Unspecified Outside Force Damage
Dec. 8, 1995 Koch Gathering Systems Inc 0 0 $2,493 Malfunction Of Control/Relief Equipment
Feb. 20, 1996 Texaco Pipeline Inc 0 0 $6,098 Third Party Excavation Damage
June 13, 1996 Wbi Energy Transmission, Inc. 0 0 $249K Operator/Contractor Excavation Damage
July 16, 1996 Montana Dakota Utilities Co 0 0 $136K Earth Movement
Aug. 29, 1996 Montana Power Co 0 0 $126K Third Party Excavation Damage
June 20, 1997 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $1.2M Earth Movement
Nov. 2, 1997 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $53.3K External Corrosion
June 23, 1998 Enbridge Pipelines (North Dakota) Llc 0 0 $9,212 Malfunction Of Control/Relief Equipment
Dec. 28, 1998 Shell Pipeline Co., L.P. 0 0 $79K Temperature
Sept. 20, 1999 Montana Power Co 0 0 $148K Third Party Excavation Damage
Aug. 2, 2000 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $637K Third Party Excavation Damage
Oct. 19, 2000 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $509K Unspecified Weld
Dec. 13, 2000 Conoco Inc (Aka Conoco Pipe Line) 0 0 $955K Unspecified Incorrect Operation
Feb. 4, 2001 Montana Power Co 0 0 $187K Third Party Excavation Damage
June 1, 2002 Northwestern Energy Llc 0 1 $12.2K Third Party Excavation Damage
Sept. 20, 2002 Cenex Pipeline Llc 0 0 $0 Operator/Contractor Excavation Damage
June 10, 2003 Belle Fourche Pipeline Co 0 0 $7,819 Non Threaded Connection Failure
Sept. 22, 2004 Northwestern Energy Llc 0 1 $142K Third Party Excavation Damage
Sept. 15, 2005 Northwestern Energy Llc 0 1 $588K Third Party Excavation Damage
April 8, 2007 Northwestern Energy Llc 0 1 $130K Unknown Cause
Oct. 9, 2007 Phillips 66 Pipeline Llc 0 0 $18.6K External Corrosion
May 18, 2008 Kinder Morgan Pipelines (Usa) Inc 0 0 $438K Non Threaded Connection Failure
Aug. 8, 2008 Bridger Pipeline Llc 0 0 $20.1K Miscellaneous Cause
Nov. 10, 2008 Wbi Energy Transmission, Inc. 0 1 $43K Operator/Contractor Excavation Damage
March 5, 2009 Northwestern Energy Llc 1 0 $2.56M Earth Movement
Nov. 26, 2009 Phillips 66 Pipeline Llc 0 0 $42.7K Joint/Fitting/Component
Dec. 13, 2009 Phillips 66 Pipeline Llc 0 0 $2.92M Body Of Pipe
May 6, 2010 Northwestern Energy Llc 1 0 $208K Third Party Excavation Damage
Nov. 23, 2010 Kinder Morgan Pipelines (Usa) Inc 0 0 $188K Other Equipment Failure
March 28, 2011 Northern Border Pipeline Company 0 0 $139K Malfunction Of Control/Relief Equipment
June 8, 2011 Montana Dakota Utilities Co 0 0 $1.52M Unknown Cause
July 1, 2011 Exxonmobil Pipeline Co 0 0 $135M Heavy Rains/Floods
July 5, 2011 Northern Border Pipeline Company 0 0 $912K Malfunction Of Control/Relief Equipment
Feb. 24, 2012 Cenex Pipeline Llc 0 0 $245K Non Threaded Connection Failure
March 18, 2012 Montana Dakota Utilities Co 0 0 $205K Unknown Cause