Judge orders release of pipeline records

OLYMPIA – The state Utilities and Transportation Commission must immediately release oil and natural gas pipeline mapping information to several of the state’s newspapers, a judge ruled Friday, saying the information was not exempt from the state’s public disclosure law.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks issued the 20-page written ruling shortly after a one-hour hearing.

Last month, the Bellingham Herald and a private citizen requested detailed information the commission has collected about pipelines after a pipeline accident in Bellingham that killed three youths in 1999.

The data includes details about the pipes, including where specific valves, compression stations and other parts are located.