There have been nearly 7,500 pipeline incidents since 2010, causing over 150 deaths, leaving over 700 people injured and resulting in nearly $8 billion in damage, according to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration. The most common causes for pipeline incidents are due to “equipment failure” and “corrosion failure.”
But out of all these incidents, those caused by “material failure” are the most expensive. According to PHMSA, pipeline failures from material and weld defects “account for a small percentage” of all incidents.
Of the roughly 3,500 “significant” pipeline incidents since 2010 — a qualifier set by PHMSA for incidents where a person died, someone was injured or clean-up costs exceeded $50,000 — roughly 12 percent were caused by material failures. Yet material failures amounted to 32 percent of the total cost, when adjusting for inflation.
In reality, total clean-up costs reported in PHMSA data are likely an undercount, according to experts familiar with the data. Costs mount while clean-up progresses, but fresh reports are not guaranteed.
This map shows all significant pipeline incidents since 2010, with each locator dot increasing in size based on the cost for clean-up. Orange dots represent those where a material failure occurred.
The most expensive pipeline incidents are caused by material failures
Significant pipeline incidents from 2010 to February 2022
Incident caused by material failure
Total Incident Cost (in millions of dollars)
< 6
25
65
680
> 680
A 2010 Enbridge pipeline
material failure released
843,000 gallons of crude oil
into the Kalamazoo River,
costing over $1 billion.
A 2010 Pacific Gas & Electric
pipeline material failure caused
an explosion, killing eight,
injuring 51 and destroying
38 homes.
Data Source: U.S. DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Graphic by Jessie Blaeser
The most expensive pipeline incidents
are caused by material failures
Significant pipeline incidents
Jan. 2010 to Feb. 2022
Incident caused by material failure
All other pipeline incidents
In 2020, two teens found
a burst Colonial pipeline
while riding ATVs.
Colonial’s leak detection system
failed, ultimately releasing
1.2 million gallons of gas
and costing over $65 million.
Total Incident Cost
(in millions of dollars)
< 6
25
65
680
> 680
Data Source:
U.S. DOT Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
Graphic by Jessie Blaeser
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