Pipeliners Podcast

Episode 79: Bellingham Incident 20-Year Anniversary - Personal Story with Larry Shelton


Listen Later

On the 20-year anniversary of the Bellingham Incident in Bellingham, Washington, Pipeliners Podcast host Russel Treat welcomes retired pipeline professional Larry Shelton to share his first-hand recollections and reflect on the importance of pipeline integrity management. Operations Excellence (OE) is the driving force of Mr. Shelton's story. He defines OE as "achieving business goals with no harm to any person, property, or the environment." Simply stated, the mantra is "Business Goals, No Harm." The mantra has a deep emotional connection for Mr. Shelton, whose professional career was forever-changed in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska created a permanent mark for pipeliners such as himself working for the Alyeska Pipeline Service company. Ten years later, the Bellingham Incident forever altered the community of Bellingham, Washington. The Olympic Pipeline ruptured on June 10, 1999, due to a similar series of "domino" events as Exxon Valdez. At the time, Mr. Shelton was ARCO's pipeline integrity representative. He walked the path of the gas rupture that cost human life. In those moments, he saw the human element of operational excellence, realizing that it dwarfs numbers, records, and programs. In the 20 years since the Bellingham Incident, Mr. Shelton has served on numerous industry committees and work groups, including chairman of the API Operations Technical Group. He also served on the Office of Pipeline Safety's Hazardous Liquid Technical Advisory Committee. In his experience, Mr. Shelton has come to realize that "Business Goals, No Harm" is a difficult balance, but it must be done. Listen to his poignant reflections in this sobering and valuable episode of the Pipeliners Podcast.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Pipeliners PodcastBy Russel Treat

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

62 ratings


More shows like Pipeliners Podcast

View all
Stuff You Should Know by iHeartPodcasts

Stuff You Should Know

78,332 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,081 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,713 Listeners

The Ben Shapiro Show by The Daily Wire

The Ben Shapiro Show

154,135 Listeners

Motley Fool Money by The Motley Fool

Motley Fool Money

3,223 Listeners

WSJ What’s News by The Wall Street Journal

WSJ What’s News

4,362 Listeners

The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe by The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

41,264 Listeners

Oil and Gas This Week by Mark LaCour & Paige Wilson

Oil and Gas This Week

542 Listeners

The Clark Howard Podcast by Clark Howard

The Clark Howard Podcast

5,476 Listeners

The Journal. by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

The Journal.

6,065 Listeners

Morning Brew Daily by Morning Brew

Morning Brew Daily

3,004 Listeners

The Megyn Kelly Show by SiriusXM

The Megyn Kelly Show

40,401 Listeners

Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin by Money News Network

Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

1,641 Listeners

The Tucker Carlson Show by Tucker Carlson Network

The Tucker Carlson Show

16,869 Listeners

Oil & Gas Measurement Podcast by Weldon Wright

Oil & Gas Measurement Podcast

10 Listeners