研究生英语阅读教程(提高级-第三版)课文及课后习题答案(2)

2. The Prudhoe Bay oil spill: (2006 Alaskan oil spill) an oil spill that was discovered on

March 2, 2006 at a pipeline owned by BP Exploration, Alaska (BPXA) in western Prudhoe Bay,

Alaska. Initial estimates said that up to 267,000 U.S. gallons (6,400 bbl) were spilled over 1.9 acres (7,700 m2), making it the largest oil spill on Alaska?s north slope to date. Alaska?s unified

command ratified the volume of crude oil spilled as 212,252 U.S. gallons (5,053.6 bbl) in March

2008. The spill originated from a 0.25-inch (0.64 cm) hole in a 34-inch (86 cm) diameter pipeline.

The pipeline was decommissioned and later replaced with a 20-inch (51 cm) diameter pipeline

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with its own pipeline inspection gauge (pig) launch and recovery sites for easier inspection. In

November 2007, BP Exploration, Alaska (BPXA) pled guilty to negligent discharge of oil, a misdemeanor under the federal Clean Water Act and was fined US$20 million. BP reported to the media that an estimated volume of around 267,000 U.S. gallons (1,010,000 L) of oil was spilled. Soon after the discovery of the leak, the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered BP to test its

pipelines using an internal probe called a smart pig. Some of these lines had not been smart-pigged

since 1992. BP came up with an Action Plan which was outlined in a letter sent to Thomas Barrett, administrator for pipeline safety for Department of Transpor tation?s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). BP?s Steve Marshall detailed measures for pigging

or removing oil residue from the pipeline and for various draining and dismantling procedures. Marshall also noted that a special 27 member task force was appointed to address the situation.

As a result of news of the shutdown, the price of crude oil on NYMEX jumped US$2.22 a barrel closing at US$76.98 per barrel. Following the Prudhoe Bay pipeline leak in March 2006, due to slow progress in stopping the oil spill, BP was forced to shut down its Prudhoe Bay oil facility, which produced about 2.6% of the United States demand for gasoline. The scenario was a contributing factor for pushing the price of oil to US$77 per barrel in August 2006.

In July 2006, BP sent a smart pig through its eastern pipelines, detecting extensive corrosion

at several places. Soon after that BP began temporary production shut down of the eastern side, citing the discove ry of “unexpectedly severe corrosion”. This reduced the per day production

3 3 from 400,000 barrels (64,000 m ) to 200,000 barrels (32,000 m ). This amounted to reduction

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in domestic oil supply by 8% at that time. In October 2007, BP was fined US$20 million for

the Prudhoe Bay oil spills. BP has paid a US$12 million federal criminal fine, US$4 million in

criminal restitution to the state, and US$4 million for Arctic re search. BP?s local subsidiary, BP

Exploration (Alaska) Inc., was placed on probation for three years.

3. 2005 Texas City Refinery explosion: In March 2005, BP?s Texas City, Texas refinery,

one of its largest refineries, exploded causing 15 deaths, injuring 180 people and forcing

thousands of nearby residents to remain sheltered in their homes. A large column filled with

hydrocarbon overflowed to form a vapour cloud, which ignited. The explosion caused all the

casualties and substantial damage to the rest of the plant. The incident came as the culmination of

a series of less serious accidents at the refinery, and the engineering problems were not addressed

by the management. Maintenance and safety at the plant had been cut as a cost-saving measure,

the responsibility ultimately resting with executives in London.

The fallout from the accident continues to cloud BP?s corporate image because of the

mismanagement at the plant. There have been several investigations of the disaster, the most recent

being that from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board which “offered a scathing

assessment of the company”. OSHA found “organizational and safety deficiencies at all levels of the

BP C orporation” and said management failures could be traced from Texas to London.

The company pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Clean Air Act, was fined $50

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million, and sentenced to three years? probation.

On October 30, 2009, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

fined BP an additional $87 million—the largest fine in OSHA history—for failing to correct

safety hazards revealed in the 2005 explosion. Inspectors found 270 safety violations that had

been previously cited but not fixed and 439 new violations.

4. Exxon Valdez oil spill: The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound,

Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach,

California, struck Prince William Sound?s Bligh Reef and spilled 260,000 to 750,000 barrels (41,000 to 119,000 m3) of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-

caused environmental disasters. The Valdez spill was the largest ever in U.S. waters until the 2010

Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume released. However, Prince William Sound?s remote

location, accessible only by helicopter, plane, and boat, made government and industry response

efforts difficult and severely taxed existing plans for response. The region is a habitat for salmon,

sea otters, seals and seabirds. The oil, originally extracted at the Prudhoe Bay oil field, eventually covered 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline, and 11,000 square miles (28,000 km2) of ocean. Then

Exxon CEO, Lawrence G. Rawl, shaped the company?s respon …… 此处隐藏：5677字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……