Lawmakers seek answers about BP’s Olympic Pipeline leak in Snohomish County

Published 1:50 pm Monday, December 22, 2025

EVERETT — Washington congressional lawmakers are seeking answers from oil giant BP following the Olympic Pipeline’s 2,300-gallon leak east of Everett in November, which caused an almost 2-week shutdown of the system and forced Gov. Bob Ferguson to issue a state emergency regarding travel disruptions at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

On Nov. 11, BP crews were alerted to a sheen in a drainage ditch in a field near Lowell-Snohomish River Road, in unincorporated Snohomish County. At the site, the 400-mile pipeline system consists of two pipes, one of which the company shut down upon being notified of the leak, and then fully shut down the pipeline on Nov. 16.

The Olympic Pipeline resumed full operations on Dec. 1, but BP has not yet disclosed a reason for the leak.

Since 2023, the 400-mile pipeline system has had “three significant incidents,” a Dec. 10 press release from Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, stated, including the December 2023 leak near Conway, for which the Washington Department of Ecology fined the company $3.8 million.

“While we are relieved that the pipeline is now operational, this malfunction jeopardized airline operations, farmlands, water safety, wildlife habitat, and public health,” Washington lawmakers wrote in a letter to BP North America CEO Murray Auchincloss. “Further, we are concerned because this spill is part of a decades-long history of spills and ruptures in the Olympic Pipeline.”

Democratic lawmakers Rick Larsen, Everett; Kim Schrier, Sammamish; Marilyn Strickland, Tacoma; Emily Randall, Bremerton; Adam Smith, Bellevue; Pramila Jayapal, Seattle; and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Skamania County, signed the letter.

BP has agreed to brief the lawmakers on the leak, DelBene’s press release stated.

The lawmakers outlined 11 questions to BP, asking for answers by Jan. 8. A full letter can be found online at https://delbene.house.gov/uploadedfiles/olympic_pipeline_leak_letter_transmission_copy.pdf.

1. What volume of refined products did the November 11, 2025 leak release?

2. What efforts are BP North America and the Olympic Pipeline undertaking to determine the full extent of refined products that may have leaked into surrounding water sources or soil?

3. Provide an outline of BP’s plan to remediate any contamination, including the timeline for these activities and an assessment of local businesses or residences impacted.

4. Do you commit to timely public disclosure of all spill data, such as volume, location, environmental sampling results, and remediation efforts, for review by public and relevant state and local agencies? If so, what is your projected timeline for this information disclosure?

5. Provide a complete list of spills and volume spilled since November 25, 2005 from any pipelines owned by BP in Washington State.

6. What corrective measures will BP North America and the Olympic Pipeline take to reduce future spill risk?

7. Do you commit to fully cooperating with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to determine the cause of the leak and make any necessary corrective actions?

8. Do you commit to fully cooperating with the Washington Department of Ecology for assessment of the extent of the spill as well as all clean-up operations?

9. The Washington Department of Ecology issued a $3.8 million fine for the 2023 Olympic Pipeline leak in Conway, WA. Following that leak, how did BP update its monitoring and maintenance practices?

10. Since the 2023 leak in Conway, has BP found any other leaks along the Olympic pipeline? Is there a connection between the 2023 leak in Conway, or any subsequent leaks, and this one?

11. Governor Ferguson’s emergency declaration following the shutdown of the Olympic Pipeline highlights the need to develop further emergency plans to service airline operation needs in the event of future fuel incidents. Do you commit to working with the state and relevant transit authorities to address emergency planning needs?

Eliza Aronson: 425-339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson.

Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund.