Sentencing For Pipeline Execs

U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein sentenced Frank Hopf Jr., Olympic's manager at the time of the blast, to six months in prison as prosecutors had recommended, plus three years of supervised release and 200 hours of community service.

She sentenced Ronald Brentson, the employee in charge of a computer control center for the pipeline, to 30 days in prison followed by 30 days home monitoring, three years supervised release and 150 hours of community service. Prosecutors had recommended a three-month sentence.

Still to be sentenced was Kevin Dyvig, for whom prosecutors recommended a year of probation. Dyvig was a control center operator responsible for monitoring the section of pipeline that ruptured.

Prosecutors had called for millions of dollars in criminal and civil penalties for the three men and two companies found liable in the blast -- Olympic and its managing partner, Equilon Pipeline Co. The recommendations, filed Friday, were part of a plea agreement that resolved the complicated case.

Rothstein was to sentence the companies Wednesday as well -- a process expected to take up much of the day.

When the pipeline ruptured in Bellingham on June 10, 1999, it spilled more than 225,000 gallons of gasoline into creeks running through the park. Liam Wood, 18, who was fishing, died after being overcome by fumes. Stephen Tsiorvas and Wade King, both 10, died of burns suffered when the fuel ignited in a giant fireball.

A federal investigation of the pipeline rupture and explosion, and of Olympic's management of its 400-miles pipeline network in the region, led to a six-count indictment.

The charges ranged from failures in the company's general operations to violations of the federal Clean Water Act. In December, Olympic and the three men -- Hopf, Brentson and Dyvig -- each pleaded guilty to the counts against them.

Equilon, which bought out Olympic's managing partner, Texaco Pipeline Inc., after the explosion and assumed its liabilities, pleaded no contest.