"Sky Harbor fuel pipeline to get more security"

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Sky Harbor fuel pipeline to get more security
The Associated Press 


PHOENIX - A new state law could beef up security for Phoenix Sky Harbor
International Airport's sole source of jet fuel, but it's unclear who will
pay for any future safety upgrades.

The bill signed by Gov. Janet Napolitano on Tuesday calls for an annual
security assessment for a key fuel-tank farm in west Phoenix and the 12-mile
jet-fuel pipeline that runs from the tank farm to Sky Harbor.

Keeping the pipeline safe is a major issue, state officials say. If it's
interrupted, the airport can maintain operations for only a few days before
it may have to cancel flights.   
 
Sky Harbor is the eighth-busiest airport in the country and 42 million
travelers passed through its gates in 2007. The pipeline delivers about
180,000 barrels of jet fuel a week.

The law fills a critical knowledge gap in the Arizona's homeland-security
effort, said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, the governor's spokeswoman.

Under the new law, pipeline operators must give the state homeland-security
director a written report on security measures by Oct. 1 of each year. It
also requires that the facility submit to state inspections, and it limits
the number of state officials who have access to security reports.

Every five years, the state homeland-security director must update the
governor, state lawmakers, and fuel-facility operators on the safety
efforts, the law says.

If the state asks for tighter security, however, it's an open question of
who will pick up the tab.

Rep. Chad Campbell, the Phoenix lawmaker who sponsored the bill, said if
there are future security concerns, the state and pipeline operators will
work together to devise a solution.

The jet-fuel pipeline to Sky Harbor runs through Campbell's district. A
break in the line could be a "significant health and safety threat," he
added.

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