Aging Natural Gas Pipeline News
October 09, 2011
PG&E Stockpiled Cash Ear-Marked For Aging Pipeline Inspections Which Were Never Done
PG&E which is continuing to face a public relations nightmare over its aging gas pipeline system and it seems things continue to get worse. Recently it was discovered that PG&E, which earmarked 1.5 million in customers money to assess the danger of the 7,000 miles of plastic natural gas pipe, never did the inspections. On top of that, they requested another 2.1 million annually without ever having started the work.
The pipeline which worries people is the Aldyl-A, which has been known to be vulnerable to cracking and sudden failure. The company set a side 1 million in 2009 and 500 thousand in 201 but didn't do any inspections during those years. A division of Ratepayer Advocates, which is a consumer watchdog organization, asked the Public Utility Commission for an accounting of how PG&E spent the 1 million they already received. According to the response, PG&E spent $ 287,000 of the 1 million they received from customers which they used toward administrative overhead.
November 03, 2011
Audit Of Texas Natural Gas Pipelines Reveal Most Aren't Inspected
A recent report of the state's auditors has found that the Texas Railroad Commission has only inspected 65% of the highest priority pipelines identified in the annual inspection work plan. Texas has the largest of the U.S. network of natural gas pipelines with well over 270,000 miles of pipeline. It was also the site of two deadly pipeline accident in 2010.
The audit specifically lists four areas which are in need of work. Increasing the number of inspections of pipeline systems ranked as the highest priority, increasing the accuracy and completeness of its annual pipeline inspections, following pipeline damage incidents to ensure that investigations are completed before closing a case and strengthening certain information technology controls.
November 30, 2011
San Antonio Refinery Explodes
Firefighters and other officials were scrambling to cut off the fuel which followed a massive explosion on a southeast side refinery. A spokesmen of the refinery say the cause of the explosion is unknown. No injuries were reported and fire officials had the fire put out quickly. Workers and contractors were evacuated following the refinery fire.
October 04, 2011
Texas Chemical Plant Fire Causes Widespread Evacuations
Officials were evacuating areas around a chemical plant in Waxahacie, Texas after a raging fire began producing massive black smoke which darkened the sky around the plant. The fire began around 10:30 a.m. and people were being evacuated within a 8 mile radius as there was no immediate known cause of the fire. The company is unsure what health risks might come from the fire as the plant does custom chemical manufacturing, blending and packaging according to their website. The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality was mobilizing air monitoring equipment to gauge if further precautions are warranted.
August 30, 2011
Over Half of Aging Natural Gas Pipeline Haven't Been Inspected
According to the National Transportation Safety Board more than half of the aging natural gas pipelines in this country have not been inspected. This comes on the wake of the final report of the San Bruno aging natural gas pipeline explosion which killed 8 people, injured 58 and destroyed 38 homes. The report found that if tests were done on the San Bruno pipe it would have failed in 1961 of 1970. Currently old, aging natural gas pipelines are exempted from the rigorous testing.
August 05, 2011
Aging New York Gas Pipeline Poses Major Risk
As many people know our system of natural gas pipelines throughout the United States is old and aging. A recent inspection by federal regulators has shown that the pipeline stretching across parts of New York has the potential to pose a safety threat. The pipeline owner has lessened the pressure of gas in the pipeline, but many feel that problems besides the leak found could exist. The leak in the natural gas pipeline was discovered by company workers and was due to a faulty weld. Many people are worried that other faulty weld could exist along the natural gas line.
Tougher Aging Gas Pipeline Regulations Being Considered By Congress
Due to a recent string of gas pipeline explosions and leaks, congress is considering new laws which would tighten control of the pipeline industry. In the last year there has been a major explosion in California as well as contaminated water in Montana and Pennsylvania. The proposed action would call for better detection and more regular checks of the aging gas pipeline system. The bill wouldn't use government funding but instead be funded by customer fees as well as penalties from violations by companies.
July 22, 2011
Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion Heard For Miles
A natural gas pipeline owned by TransCanada which is known as the Bison Pipeline exploded on Wednesday night just west of Gillette. Officials said their was no injuries and damage in the explosion, but people are reporting that the explosion could be heard from miles away. A 60 foot section of the pipeline was destroyed, and the gas flow was shut down about 15 minutes after the explosion. Officials were unable to determine the amount of gas released but the Bison Pipeline was transporting 365 million cubic feet of natural gas a day.
July 6, 2011
Aging Gas Pipelines Often Ignored
Texas, which is home to more pipelines than other states, should be alarmed by a recent study done by the Hearst Newspapers. The study shows that the pipeline industry funds two thirds of the safety studies done by the government, basically they pay to police themselves which as many can see would lead to a major conflict. A San Francisco Chronicle report found that in Texas more than 25,000 of the 46,000 miles of transmission pipelines were installed in 1970 or earlier, some even dating back to the great depression.
Yellowstone River Spill Raises Pipeline Safety Concerns
An incident involving a ruptured pipeline is causing some people to push for tighter regulations of the aging gas pipeline system. A oil pipeline which runs beneath the Yellowstone river in Montana burst and spilled as much as a 1,000 barrels of oil into the river just down from Yellowstone National Park. But high water conditions have made it impossible to investigate the damage to the pipeline. According to a World Wildfire Federation report pipeline accidents accounted for 2,500 significant incidents, 161 fatalities and 576 injuries in the U.S. from 2000-2009. Many officials are worried about the amount of pipelines which cross under some of our most precious water resources not just for the wildfire but for communities as well.
July 05, 2011
Gas Line Explosion Occurs in Lake Worth
A Gas line explosion occurred around 2:30 in the afternoon July 5, 2011 in Lake Worth. The explosion occurred when workers involved with the Shawnee Bridge Project hit a buried six inch gas pipeline which they didn't know was there. The backhoe caught fire but the operator was able to escape without injuries, however residents were able to feel the explosion from miles away. Atmos Gas Company responded and shut down the gas line which cause the fire to go out. This is just another case of how dangerous the aging gas pipeline system truly is.
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