Get the Facts on Olympic Pipe Line Company

Olympic Pipe Line Company (OPLC) is a partnership between Texaco, Arco and GATX with Texaco acting as the manager. According to the Department of Ecology, Olympic has had 14 separate spills since 1984 including one in Renton which eventually leaked up to 84,000 gallons of fuel into the town's soil. (See our Renton Oil Spill Page) This pipeline leaked from January 1986 until October 1986 when OPCL finally realized their equipment needed repairs. Pipelines do have a better safety record than motor or rail transport, but the amount of fuel traveling by these methods in Washington is minimal at best. Pipelines have a far inferior safety record to that of barges and tankers. For more details on Olympic's spill record and that of competing carriers please see our Department of Ecology Data Page. In the process of campaigning for a cross Cascade pipeline, Olympic has embellished or misquoted a number of statistics. Please see our Misstatements by OPLC Link for corrections to some of these "facts."