Officials order shutdown of 27 miles of El Paso gas pipeline in Ohio

HOUSTON, Texas - Federal officials have ordered the continued shutdown of 27 miles of natural gas pipeline in Ohio because of repeated problems with welds in the pipe, including one linked to an explosion that leveled several houses on Nov. 16.

The investigation into the cause of a Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC explosion near Glouster, Ohio, is continuing, according to an order released Nov. 17 by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

Authorities said that a visual inspection suggests that the pipeline failed at a weld similar to those that caused problems, including an explosion and fire in northeastern Ohio, in February and March. The high-pressure pipeline, three feet in diameter, runs from Kentucky to Pennsylvania.

"I find that the continued operation of the pipeline without corrective measures would be hazardous to life, property and the environment," wrote Jeffrey D. Wiese, associate administrator for pipeline safety at PHMSA.

Those measures include the shutdown, operating more than 200 miles of the affected line at reduced pressures, performing mechanical and metallurgical tests, and completing an analysis of the root cause of the failure within 60 days.

Gretchen Krueger, a spokeswoman for El Paso Corp., which owns Tennessee Gas, said the company has been working closely with federal authorities since the first report of the Nov. 16 explosion and will fully comply with the order.

Ms. Kruger added the company is in "full compliance with the consent order" imposed after the failures earlier this year and is working to implement corrective measures it required.

Washington Gas said to intimidate employees who grade leaks

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On the night of Dec. 19, 2010, a home exploded in Chantilly, Va. Firefighters had received a call for a gas leak, but by the time they arrived the blast had brought the home to the ground. According to eyewitnesses, the front door landed across the street in a neighbor's yard.

The home belonged to the Nguyens, a family of four who thankfully, were out to dinner. First generation Americans, they say it represented their American dream. "Everything we built up for my whole life and it's gone," says Thuan Nguyen. "It's really tough to look at."

According to the fire marshal's report, the explosion "was most likely due to the ignition of natural gas…". A spokesman told ABC 7 News that gas leaking from a pipe in the street had migrated into the home.

Washington Gas refuses to release the results of its investigation of the accident. Larry Leeds, president of the Brookfield Civic Association, has advocated for the family and the neighborhood. "I think Washington gas is screwing around," he says, "because they don't want to pay any money. I understand that. This is all about the money."

ABC 7 News has obtained a surprising internal memo, sent during deliberations over how to address a spike of leaks in Prince George's County. It reads, "We are NOT planning on an overall leak survey since that could result in finding new leaks."

Former employees of Washington Gas have come forward to share their own recollections. "I'm concerned about the customers and general safety of the public. And I think it's been jeopardized," says William Gibson, a retired 34-year Washington Gas employee. "And I think it's all been due to, again, a lot of profiteering on behalf of the gas company."

Three former employees describe leak evaluations as loose. They say while working for the company, they found a number of so-called grade ones - the most dangerous kind. But instead of immediately fixing them, Washington Gas argued over the grade, and replaced them with someone who would lower the grade.

"(There were times) I strongly felt from all my years of experience that it's a grade one leak," says Warren Davis, a retired 36-year employee. "And I turned it in as a grade one, only to find out the next day that someone went out behind me, and ... they may say, 'well this is actually a Two.'"

If Washington Gas finds a grade one leak, the company must fix it immediately. But by grading it a two, the company may have 15 months to fix it. And documents from the Virginia State Corporation Commission show just how pervasive this practice may be.

OSHA issues minimal fine in fatal Texas gas pipeline accident

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined a Canadian, Texas, accidents, pipeline accidents, gas pipeline accidents construction firm $7,000, claiming the violations that resulted in the deaths of two employees were "serious."
OSHA levied two fines -$3,500 each - against Nick Thomas Inc. of Canadian for its role in a June 8 natural gas pipeline explosion that killed two people near Darrouzett, Texas, in Lipscomb County.
The agency cited Nick Thomas Inc. for not locating the underground pipeline before beginning excavation in a caliche pit, according to OSHA. The agency also cited the company for not notifying utility companies of its intentions to dig in the pit, or asking those utilities to locate underground infrastructure, OSHA said.
Johnnie Mike Renner, 44, and Steven Douglas Odell, 32, both of Pampa, Texas, were killed when a ripper on the back of a bulldozer they were using to dig caliche struck a 14-inch natural gas line about two miles outside of Darrouzett.
A ripper is a clawlike steel hook used to loosen rocks and soil, much like a plow would do, but at greater depth.

Fatality results when excavator hits gas line in North Dakota

MOUNTRAIL COUNTY, N.D. - Federal and state regulators have been called in to investigation the Nov. 8 fatal natural gas line explosion in Mountrail County.

Thomas Chojnacki, 30, of Michigan was killed while helping to install underground electrical lines at an oil well site near Tioga, N.D.

Trench digging equipment ruptured the gas line, resulting in ignition of the gas.

Two other workers were injured in the explosion and fire. They were treated and released from a Tioga hospital.

Low-frequency ER welds may be putting PG&E pipelines at risk

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - As much as two-thirds of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. network of major natural gas pipelines may be vulnerable to failure because the pipe was made before 1970, using welding techniques that have been outmoded for four decades, a San Francisco Chronicle report alleges.
The problem is the result of a pre-1970 welding technique that put welds on the pipe seams that seal the spine of the pipe. The technology - known as
low-frequency electric resistance welding - could allow the pipe spine
to rupture more readily, especially when the pipe has been weakened by corrosion or a nearby dent.
Federal regulators warned pipeline companies more than 20 years ago to
reconsider use of pipelines older than 1970. That warning applies to the transmission line that exploded in San Bruno - it was built with pipe manufactured using the low-frequency ERW technology.
Government regulators did not require that pipeline companies replace the old pipe, however, mandating only that operators inspect lines in populated areas for problems.

PG&E says it may need $425 million for 300 automated shutoff valves

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Criticized for its long delay in manually shutting off gas to the ruptured San Bruno pipeline, PG&E said on Oct. 25 that it has identified some 300 manual gas valves that may need to be replaced with faster automatic or remotely controlled shut-off technology, at a potential cost of up to $450 million.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, hosted a meeting on Oct. 25 for PG&E officials to explain to mayors from across the Bay Area more about natural gas main shutoff valves and other pipeline details.

In its disclosures on Oct. 25, PG&E noted that the cost of replacing a manual valve with one that automatically closes after a drop in pressure from a pipe rupture or that can be remotely controlled by a human operator varies from $100,000 to $1.5 million, depending on such factors as how accessible the valve is for retrofitting. But it was vague about how many valves it has - manual or otherwise - as well as how long it might take to replace them all.
"The urgency is pretty obvious," said Speier, noting that PG&E told her earlier that a single valve replacement can take up to nine months. "