Plains All American Pipeline LP
PAA
Energy
2
exclusion reasons
2 themes
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
Plains All American Pipeline LP operates a vast midstream network of pipelines, terminals, and storage facilities dedicated to transporting and storing crude oil, natural gas liquids, and refined petroleum products across the United States and Canada. This infrastructure is central to the company's business, forming the essential link between fossil fuel production and downstream markets.
The company has a documented history of operational failures within this network. In 2010, Plains settled Clean Water Act violations for ten crude oil spills across four states. More recently, in December 2024, the company reached a $72.5 million settlement with the California State Lands Commission and an insurer over allegations of negligent pipeline maintenance. Regulatory scrutiny extends to its Canadian operations, where in 2015 the National Energy Board ordered Plains Midstream Canada to undergo an independent third-party audit of its federally regulated pipelines.
Plains All American Pipeline LP operates a vast network of crude oil and natural gas liquids pipelines across North America. Its core business of transporting hazardous materials has been marked by repeated, preventable environmental incidents. Federal inspectors have cited the company for multiple operational failures, including inadequate leak detection systems and slow response times that exacerbate spill impacts.
The company’s history includes a $230 million settlement for damages from a major 2015 crude oil pipeline rupture near Santa Barbara, California, which discharged over 142,000 gallons of oil into the ocean and onto beaches. In a separate 2010 Clean Water Act settlement, Plains resolved violations for ten crude oil spills across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas. More recently, in 2020, the company was required to pay over $60 million in penalties, cleanup costs, and natural resource damages and to modify its national operations following federal enforcement actions. This pattern of spills and penalties, documented by ViolationTracker and court records, demonstrates systemic operational failures resulting in significant ecological harm.
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