Mobil Gets Pipeline Extension

The Torrance City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to grant the Mobil Oil Corp. a 25-year extension to operate 1.09 miles of crude oil pipelines in Torrance and to increase the fee Mobil must pay for the use of city land.

The four pipelines run under portions of Van Ness, Madrona and Maple avenues and Plaza del Amo. The annual fee of $16,256.48 is from on a new formula based on current land values. The old fee was based on the length of pipeline.

The ordinance gives the council the right to have the pipelines tested every three years to ensure that they meet standards established in the Pipeline Safety Act of 1981.

The council also extended through Dec. 1 Mobil’s use of its M-70 pipeline under Prairie and Madrona avenues. The M-70 pipeline is the target of a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles by a Los Angeles environmental group, which charges that the Environmental Impact Report on the pipeline is inadequate. City Atty. Kenneth L. Nelson said the Torrance council will wait until the litigation is completed before deciding whether to extend operation of the pipeline beyond December.