Natural Gas Watch.org

Spectra Energy Employee: We Never Bothered to Check Natural Gas Pipeline for Corrosion

fjgallagher — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:49:44 +0000

Federal regulators have cited Spectra Energy for failure to control corrosion in a natural gas pipeline in Danville, Kentucky. One Spectra employee, according to documents obtained by NaturalGasWatch.org, acknowledged that corrosion control tests never took place.

A Spectra Energy employee acknowledged to federal inspectors that the company never conducted key tests for corrosion on a natural gas pipeline that was already operating at excess capacity, according to documents recently obtained by NaturalGasWatch.org.

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In addition, the documents allege, Spectra Energy Transmission (SET) failed to notify federal regulators of pipeline anomalies that would have required the company to reduce the pipeline’s operating pressure. The pipeline in question is located about five miles downstream from the Texas Eastern Wheelersburg Compressor Station, the documents note.

From a May 2, 2013 letter from David Barrett, Director of the Central Region for the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to Theopolis Holeman, Group Vice President for Spectra Energy Transmission, LLC:

In this instance, SET failed to temporarily reduce their operating pressure after determining that “immediate conditions” existed on pipeline segments that are considered HCA (ed. note: High-Consequence Area, meaning lots of casualties and damage in the event of an explosion) due to the Order. SET discovered five (5) anomalies on June 30, 2012. Per Set’s own description, all five (5) anomalies were dents with metal loss. On July 2, 2012, SET notified the Central Region of the anomalies. Pursuant to §192.933(d)(l)(ii), SET was required to lower its operating pressure and make the repairs immediately. SET waited three (3) days to notify the Central Region of the anomalies and only lowered its operating pressure after the Region Director demanded that it do so on July 3, 2012. SET knowingly violated Condition 20 of the Order for four (4) continuous days.

Spectra was already operating the pipeline at a higher capacity that would normally be allowed under existing federal regulation because of an exemption issued by PHMSA on March 6, 2008.

Additionally, according to another May 2, 2013 letter sent under separate cover from (PHMSA) to Holeman, Spectra failed to install equipment to monitor whether or not the natural gas pipeline in question was being affected by corrosion and could not produce any records indicating that the pipeline had, in fact, ever been tested for corrosion or that the pipeline was even structurally sound.

From the May 2 citation issued by PHMSA to Spectra:

Spectra Energy Transmission performed a close interval survey (CIS) on portions of Line 10 and Line 15, the same portions o f the pipeline that it previously tested to determine the adequacy o f the cathodic protection on the pipeline. The CIS identified numerous locations where the cathodic protection was inadequate. SET’s annual cathodic protection tests did not locate any of these problem areas.

A corroded natural gas pipeline. Without adequate protection against corrosion, natural gas pipelines made of metal can develop leaks, increasing the risk of explosions and the threat to public safety. Photo courtesy of PHMSA.

SET’s regular cathodic protection tests did not locate these problem areas because it failed to install enough test stations or contact points to assess the adequacy of its cathodic protection system.

When asked to produce the records showing the evaluations and assessments needed to assure the integrity of Line 10 and Line 15 of its pipeline, SET could not comply. SET’s manager for pipeline integrity of the Northeast Region, Roderick Rheume, explained that SET could not provide the records because SET had never conducted the evaluations. (emphasis added)

Consequently, PHMSA cited Spectra Energy, the same company that is currently constructing a large, high-pressure natural gas pipeline through New Jersey into lower Manhattan, with five separate pipeline safety violations.

The citations were issued in connection with an inspection of Spectra’s Special Permit Segments pipeline in Scioto County that was conducted on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10, 2011.

PHMSA is seeking penalities totaling $137,400 in connection with the alleged violations.

Spectra officials could not be reached for comment by press time.

This Week In Natural Gas Leaks and Explosions – June 17, 2013

fjgallagher — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:23:28 +0000

A round-up of natural gas explosions from around the country.

It’s been another deadly week around the United States as natural gas explosions continued to exact a heavy toll among customers and industry workers alike.

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A Louisiana facility that processes natural gas liquids exploded violently on Thursday, June 13, sending killing two and injuring dozens of others as employees fled an inferno that sent flames as high as 200 feet into the air, according to media reports describing the incident.

The incident at the plant, which is located in Geismar, Louisiana, and owned and operated by the Williams Cos. – the same company that is proposing to build a high-pressure natural gas line through parks and wetlands in New York City near Coney Island – remains under investigation.

According to a story in NOLA.com, the website of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Williams facility had a history of non-compliance with pipeline safety regulations.

From NOLA.com:

Investigators have not identified the root cause of the massive explosion at a Geismar petrochemical plant … but officials at the Williams Olefins facility confirmed Friday that propylene, the chemical that caught fire, had been identified as leaking from a corroded pipe just six months ago. The plant, which is currently negotiating a settlement agreement with state environmental officials over other violations, had also recently broken ground on a major expansion project.

You can see some original video of the explosion here, shot on iPhone by some casual observers:

A natural gas explosion in Westminster, Colorado, destroyed a home on Thursday, June 13, injuring two and seriously damaging a handful of nearby houses, according to recent media reports describing the incident.

After the blast X-cel Energy, which supplies the area with natural gas, shut off service to the affected neighborhood, and area residents said they smelled natural gas in the vicinity before the explosion occurred.

A truck driver in Leoni Township, Mississippi, suffered severe burns after his rig ruptured a natural gas pipeline that subsequently exploded on Wednesday, June 12, according to recent media reports. The driver remains in critical condition at an area hospital and authorities said the investigation into the incident continues.

A natural gas explosion ripped through a home in Horseheads, New York, on Long Island, on Thursday, June 13, injuring one man. According to recent media reports describing the incident, the blast has become the subject of a criminal investigation.

Local newscasters marvel at the number of natural gas explosions that have destroyed homes and killed people in the area in the past couple of years:

A natural gas explosion ripped the roof off of a school in the Orange County town of Santa Ana, California, on Tuesday, June 11, sending four students to the hospital. According to media reports describing the incident, the blast lifted the roof off of the gymnasium and sent school doors flying up to 75 feet away from the building.

The source of the explosion remains under investigation, according to local authorities, but several students and school employees said the warned administrators about the “stench” of gas in the school’s basement in the days leading up to the incident.

From the Voice of the OC, Orange County’s Non-Profit Investigative News Agency:

As officials investigated whether the explosion was caused by a gas line or water heater, sources told Voice of OC Tuesday that administrators at the school and Santa Ana Unified School District have been warned about a gas stench in the building, including the locker room. “They were aware of that building,” said an employee, who requested anonymity. “There have been many complaints about it.” Another employee, who also requested anonymity, said “the administration was warned multiple times” and complaints from school staff had been taking place for at least several months, probably longer.

Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from homes and businesses near the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood on Sunday after a construction crew working on the new Central Subway line severed a natural gas pipeline owned and operated by PG&E. It took nearly three hours for PG&E to shut off the natural gas flow in the area.

San Francisco authorities had to evacuate hundred of people from homes and businesses near Moscone Center at in the South of Market neighborhood on Sunday, June 16, after a construction crew severed an underground gas leak during work on the new Central Subway line currently under construction.

The leak, near the corner of Fourth Street and Folsom Street, was reported shortly after noon but PG&E was not able to shut off gas in the area until nearly 3 p.m., according to media reports describing the incident.

PG&E’s response to natural gas leaks has been controversial after a massive natural gas explosion destroyed an entire neighborhood in San Bruno, California, on Sept. 10, 2010, killing eight people and destroying 38 homes in the small town just south of San Francisco. In the days and weeks after the explosion, PG&E acknowledged that the company’s records pertaining to pipeline location and safety were incomplete and in some cases non-existent.

As always, this round-up of natural gas explosions and leaks is not meant to be comprehensive, merely representative of the incidents that occur with stunning regularity across the country.

This Week In Natural Gas Leaks and Explosions – June 10, 2013

fjgallagher — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:21:19 +0000

Aerial photograph of the Sissonville accident scene. Interstate 77 and another divided highway can be seen on each side of the smouldering ruptured pipeline. There is smoke visible from a building on the opposite side of the divided highway away from the pipeline rupture. PHOTO COURTESY NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board publicly released a trove of documents relating to the ruptured natural gas pipeline that triggered a powerful natural gas explosion near Interstate 77 in Sissonville, West Virginia, destroyed three nearby homes and leaving an enormous crater in the ground.

The nearly 1,400 pages of material released by the NTSB includes transcripts of interviews with Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. employees who were on the job when the pipeline ruptured and exploded on Dec. 11, 2012, photographs of the explosion’s aftermath and other documents related to the company’s operations both before and after the incident.

A high-pressure, natural gas pipeline owned and operated by the Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. ruptured on Dec. 11, 2012, touching off a massive natural gas explosion that threw 100-foot sections of pipeline hundreds of feet away and triggered a blazing inferno that destroyed three area homes. No one was injured in the natural gas explosion.

The NTSB had previously announced that corrosion of the pipeline contributed to the rupture that precipitated the explosion, noting that the segment that gave way originally had a wall thickness of 0.281 inches. After the blast, however, investigators determined that the thinnest portion was only 0.078 inches thick.

The full load of documents is available here.

A massive explosion at a natural gas storage depot in Huntingburg, Indiana, destroyed a dehydration facility on June 10, according to recent media reports detailing the incident.

The volume of gas stored at the facility had reportedly been drawn down in preparation to decommission the facility, which was used by the town in the past to offset high natural gas prices in the winter by purchasing the fuel at lower prices in the summer. No one was injured in the incident, and the cause of the blast remains under investigation.

A tremendous explosion destroyed a house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday, June 7, according to recent media reports, knocking out a wall and sending bricks flying. Fortunately, the owner of the home had left the premises just minutes before the blast, and there were no injuries as a result of the explosion.

From the York Daily Record:

Charles Pike, 82, the sole occupant of the house his family owns, said he had left to attend his yoga class at the Dover YMCA just moments before the explosion tore apart his home of 15 years. “It’s God’s providence,” Pike told the York Daily Record as he sat in the rain while firefighters put out a fire that followed the blast. “I left two minutes before the explosion. Two minutes!”

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania shut off the home’s natural-gas supply and checked for leaks, but it was unclear whether this was a gas explosion, spokesman Russ Bedell told the newspaper.

And remember, the incidents noted in this feature are not meant to be a comprehensive report of the damage done by natural gas leaks and explosions during the past week. They are only representative. For example, incidents caused by contractors or excavators striking pipelines are specifically excluded. Were we to include occurrences of that sort, this feature would be far, far longer than it already is.

This Week In Natural Gas Leaks and Explosions – June 3, 2013

fjgallagher — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:14:33 +0000

As usual, it’s been a busy, busy week for natural gas leaks and explosions, so let’s get right to it.

A natural gas explosion severely damaged a building and injured eight people, one of them a police officer at Nyack College, a Christian college in South Nyack, New York, on Tuesday, June 4, according to recent media reports.

From LoHud.com:

South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief Brent Newbury said a department officer was patrolling the building at 177 S. Highland Ave. when he detected a strong odor of natural gas about 11:51 a.m.“He was turning around to see if he could pinpoint where the smell was coming from,” Newbury said. “When he was right next to the building, it exploded.”

Readings taken by utility workers after the explosion showed highly elevated gas levels — as high as 70 percent — in manholes …

The explosion Tuesday was the second natural gas explosion in the area in as many years. A massive natural gas explosion in January 2012 razed a townhouse and severely damaged several other buildings.

Multiple leaks in a high-pressure pipeline in Greensboro, Georgia, triggered several natural gas explosions and a subsequent fire on the morning of Tuesday, June 4, according to recent media reports. The incident occurred near a natural gas regulator station, near a section of Highway 278. There were no injuries. Contractors were reportedly working in the area, but investigating authorities could not confirm that they caused the explosion.

Natural gas compressor stations owned and operated by the Williams Cos. are blowing up with astonishing regularity. The most recent explosion, in Branchburg, New Jersey, was the second in less than a month and the third in 15 months. This photo shows the Lathrop Compressor Station, owned and operated by Williams Partners, which exploded on March 29, 2012. Compressor stations pressurize natural gas drawn from hydraulic fracturing wells and send it upstream to markets along the eastern seaboard. Photo by Frank Finan, from protectingourwaters.org

A natural gas explosion at a compressor station in Branchburg, New Jersey, injured 13 workers, two workers of them seriously, on Thursday, May 30, according to recent media reports.

Investigating officials later said the explosion and fire, which occurred at compressor station owned and operated by the Williams Cos., began when a torch ignited vapors that hadn’t been cleared.

The Branchburg explosion is the second such incident at a Williams facility in less than a month. On May 14, an explosion touched off a fire at a Williams natural gas compressor facility in New Milford, Pennsylvania, sending flames shooting hundreds of feet into the sky.

Williams has a lengthy history of pipeline safety violations, according to documents obtained by NaturalGasWatch.org, and this incident represents the third explosion at a Williams-owned facility in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna County in 15 months.

Investigating authorities suspect natural gas contributed to an explosion that injured an elderly woman in Queens, New York, on Wednesday, May 29, according to recent media reports.

From the Wall Street Journal:

A law-enforcement official said investigators preliminarily believe gas played a role. The blast left the roof of the house caved in and blew out windows while reducing one side to rubble.

“I just heard a loud explosion and watched the whole side of the house come down,” said John Dezago, a 49-year-old neighbor who works as an electrician. “I ran over and called 911 at the same time. I noticed a woman at the window; me and some neighbors started yelling at her to come out. The smell of gas was really strong.”

In Pennsylvania, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection has fined PVR Marcellus Gas Gathering LLC, a natural gas pipeline operator, $150,000 in connection with a handful of violations of environmental regulations that occurred during the construction of the Coal Mountain Pipeline.

The Coal Mountain pipeline is a 13-mile, 30-inch diameter gas gathering pipeline that crosses Cogan House, Cummings, Lycoming and Mifflin townships.

From a PA DEP press release describing the action:

The department began its investigation following a complaint in September 2011 and immediately discovered violations at the Second Fork of Larry’s Creek, where bentonite had been discharged to the creek from a stream boring operation, and PVR failed to report the spill to DEP in a timely manner.

Follow-up inspections of the pipeline project by DEP documented multiple and continuing violations of the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law, the Dam Safety and Encroachments Act and various related environmental regulations, including sediment discharges into High Quality and Exceptional Value streams.

And remember, as always, this round-up of natural gas leaks and explosions is not meant to be comprehensive, merely representative of the incidents that occur throughout the country on an almost-daily basis.

Williams Transco Seeks Permission to Harass Sea Creatures in Rockaway Pipeline Build-Out

fjgallagher — Thu, 30 May 2013 17:32:45 +0000

This North Atlantic Right Whale, or another like it, will be harassed by sounds and vibrations emanating from the construction of a new, off-shore natural gas pipeline proposed by Williams Transco. The new line, known as the Rockaway Lateral Line, would run through wetlands and recreation areas in coastal New York City, bringing shale gas from the Marcellus Shale play into Brooklyn via a pipeline running under Flatbush Ave. Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Williams Transco, the natural gas company proposing to build a massive, new natural gas pipeline through wetlands and recreation areas in coastal New York City, has asked federal regulators for an exemption to existing wildlife protection laws to “harass” a range of marine life during the pipeline’s construction, according to documents obtained by NaturalGasWatch.org.

According to the documents submitted recently by Williams Transco to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the company is seeking an exemption to the 1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act to facilitate the construction of the proposed Rockaway Lateral line.

The proposed path of the Williams Transco Rockaway Lateral Line.

The proposed Rockaway Lateral line project includes nearly three miles of undersea pipeline that would run from an existing offshore pipeline, known as the Lower New York Bay Lateral line, to a new compressor station that would be constructed in the Gateway National Recreation Area’s Floyd Bennet Field.

In their application, Williams Transco officials acknowledge that the offshore portion of the project would occur in protected waters, and ask for an exemption to the law because the new pipeline would allow National Grid to, “address current and future customer service needs” and “enhance the security and reliability of supply for the National Grid system.”

Williams Transco officials state that no marine mammals would be killed as a result of the project; instead, they would be “harassed,” primarily by the noise and vibrations emanating from the pile-driving associated with the construction phase.

Specifically, Williams Transco officials estimate that the pipeline’s construction will harass:

1 North Atlantic Right Whale
4 Harp Seals
12 Gray Seals
14 Harbor Porpoises
65 Short-beaked Common Dolphins, and
138 Harbor Seals

Transco, a division of Williams Partners LP, filed an application on Jan. 7 with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) seeking permission to build the controversial new natural gas distribution pipeline through national park land to bring additional natural gas supply from the hydraulic fracturing wells drilled in the Marcellus Shale Play into New York City.

Known as the Rockaway Lateral Line, the proposed 26-inch, high-pressure natural gas pipeline would run across wetlands in Jamaica Bay, through Jacob Riis Park beach and Floyd Bennett Field – where a new compressor station would be built – and on into Brooklyn near Flatbush Ave.

According to the filing made by the company in pursuit of the exemption from the Marine Mammal Protection Act, construction of the new line will begin in January 2014 and end in May 2014, with the new pipeline going into service in November 2014.

You can read Williams Transco’s application for an exemption to the Marine Mammal Protection Act here: Williams Transco MMPA Exemption Request

This Week In Natural Gas Leaks and Explosions – May 27, 2013

fjgallagher — Tue, 28 May 2013 19:24:04 +0000

Natural gas leaks and explosions caused considerable damage throughout the country this week.

Fallen electrical wires ignited a previously undetected natural gas leak in a Greenwich, Connecticut, neighborhood on Friday, May 24, triggering a fire that one first responder characterized as “like the eternal flame.”

After some initial confusion as to the cause of the incident, local media reports state that a vehicle struck a utility pole, sending live electrical wires to the ground where they arced a spark and ignited a natural gas leak in front of 27 Oak Ridge Street. No one was hurt in the incident, but the neighborhood was without power for several hours and four families were housed for the night by the Red Cross.

In a blast that was heard for miles around, a natural gas explosion destroyed a home in Scio, Ohio, on Sunday, May 19.

From the local NBC affiliate, WTOV-TV9:

“I was sitting on my porch reading a book. One minute that house was there and the next minute it was gone and (turned in to) a big ball of orange flame,” said Pat Galbraith, who lives across the street. “I felt the percussion hit me, and it blew me out from my chair. I must have went into shock because I couldn’t breathe.”

The Ohio State Fire Marshall’s Office continues to investigate the incident.

A natural gas leak triggered an explosion and subsequent fire that destroyed a home and closed nearly four miles of road in western New York on Monday, May 20, according to recent media reports. No one was home at the time of the blast and there were no injuries.

The Lathrop Compressor Station, owned and operated by Williams Partners, exploded on March 29, 2012. The station pressurizes natural gas drawn from hydraulic fracturing wells and sends it upstream to markets along the eastern seaboard. Photo by Frank Finan, from protectingourwaters.org

An explosion touched off a fire at a natural gas compressor facility in New Milford, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, May 14, sending flames shooting high into the night sky. No one was injured in the explosion and subsequent fire, and authorities continue to investigate the incident at the facility, which is owned by the Williams Cos.

Williams has a lengthy history of pipeline safety violations, according to documents obtained by NaturalGasWatch.org, and this incident represents the second explosion at a Williams-owned facility in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna County in 14 months.

Thieves looting a vacant home for copper are to blame for a natural gas explosion that destroyed a house in Austintown, Ohio, on Sunday, May 12, according to recent media reports. No one was injured in the blast.

Likewise, thieves are reportedly to blame for a natural gas explosion that heavily damaged a home in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Monday, May 13. The alleged thief was injured, according to media reports, as he tried to remove copper piping that fed natural gas into the home. He was transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, for medical evaluation and treatment.

A 20-inch, interstate natural gas pipeline ruptured in Bushnell, Nebraska, on May 4, according to recent media reports, sending an unknown quantity of pure methane into the atmosphere. The pipeline did not explode, although that fact may be due more to dumb luck than anything else.

The ruptured pipeline is owned and operated by Tallgrass Interstate Gas Transmission, which owns and operates about 5,100 miles of transmission lines in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Wyoming.

A spokesperson for Tallgrass said the public was never in any danger from the ruptured natural gas pipeline.

“We were fortunate that it was in an area that was not densely populated,” George Rider, general counsel for pipeline owner, told the JournalStar.com.

Finally, some compelling new footage of the recent natural gas explosion that injured 40 people in Prague last month surfaced recently. You can view it here:

Williams-Transco Minimizes Magnitude of Hurricane Sandy, Chance of Damage to Rockaway Line From A Similar Storm

fjgallagher — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:05:40 +0000

Hurricane Sandy struck the mid-Atlantic area of the United States on Oct. 29, 2012, killing dozens and doing hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage.

Noting that Hurricane Sandy was technically not quite a 100-year-storm, engineers and executives at Williams-Transco assured concerned state and federal regulators recently that the natural gas pipeline they propose to run through coastal wetlands and recreation areas near Coney Island faces only a small risk of being damaged by flooding in a similar natural disaster.

Transco officials made the assurances in a May 20 response to an April 4 request from the New York Department of State for more information about how the company’s proposed Rockaway Lateral Line would withstand a storm similar to Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy struck the Atlantic mid-coast on Oct. 29, bringing sustained winds of up to 115 m.p.h, killing nearly 300 people and causing damages currently estimated to exceed $750 billion worldwide.

The route of the natural gas pipeline the Williams-Transco company proposes to build through wetlands and recreation areas to bring shale gas from the fracking fields of the Marcellus Shale to Brooklyn.

The coastal area identified by Williams-Transco as the preferred path of their proposed Rockway Lateral Line – a 26-inch, high-pressure natural gas pipeline that would run across wetlands in Jamaica Bay, through Jacob Riis Park beach and Floyd Bennett Field, where a new compressor station would be built, and on into Brooklyn near Flatbush Ave – was among those hardest hit by the storm.

The risk of flood damage from a similar storm, Williams officials stated, is .2 percent per year

From the Williams-Transco response to the April 4, 2013 request from the NY Department of State:

The “Coney Island NE” ABFE map includes provisional measurements of Hurricane Sandy storm surge elevations for locations on the Rockaway Peninsula. These elevations were slightly lower than the 100-year base flood elevations identified for the associated flood zones on the ABFE (ed. note: Advisory Base Flood Elevation) map. This suggests that Hurricane Sandy did not quite qualify as a 100-year storm surge event based on the ABFE map.

However, the response continues, in the event of a storm that actually is a 100-year event, the pipeline’s electrical equipment – critical to the safe operation of the pipeline – would be out of harm’s way because,

“based on the current M&R Facility (ed. note: Metering & Regulation) design, all wiring and electrical components such as generators would be located at least 1 foot above the current floor elevation … This is expected to limit risk of significant equipment damage due to flooding … “

Non-electrical equipment, such as the offshore pipeline would not be “significantly affected by flooding.”

The notion of how other phenomena associated with a similar storm, such as wind or scouring of the ocean floor, would affect the Rockaway Lateral line remained uncontemplated in the Williams-Transco response.

You can read the entire Williams-Transco response here: Williams Response to NYDept of State Info Request

Fracking Opponents Say New Federal Rules Let Frackers Run Wild on Public Land

fjgallagher — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:28:42 +0000

Opponents of hydraulic fracturing say the new rules proposed by the federal Bureau of Land Management yesterday afternoon weaken existing requirements and create loopholes that will allow drilling companies to run amok on public lands.

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Hydraulic fracturing – or fracking, as it has come to be called in the parlance of our times – is a controversial process in which tens of thousands of gallons of water, laced with a toxic brew of carcinogenic chemicals and several tons of sand, is injected deep underground into rock formation to free up the natural gas trapped within so that it may harvested and brought to market by the natural gas companies.

According to a press release that accompanied the 171-page document, the new rules proposed for the hydraulic fracturing process keep in place three significant aspects of the initial proposal, which was made early in 2012: requiring operators to disclose the chemicals they use in fracturing activities on public lands; improving assurances of well-bore integrity to verify that fluids used during fracturing operations are not contaminating groundwater; and confirming that oil and gas operators have a water management plan in place for handling fluids that flow back to the surface.

From the BLM release:

As the President has made clear, this administration’s priority is to continue to expand safe and responsible domestic energy production. In line with that goal, we are proposing some commonsense updates that increase safety while also providing flexibility and facilitating coordination with states and tribes,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “As we continue to offer millions of acres of America’s public lands for oil and gas development, it is important that the public has full confidence that the right safety and environmental protections are in place.

The new rules, though, do not appear to be inspiring confidence among environmentalists.

Subsequent to the release of the rules by the BLM, many environmental organizations, as well as fracking opponents, released statements characterizing the new proposal as weak and a sell-out to the hydraulic fracturing industry.

In a statement released yesterday, Sierra Club President Michael Brune said the Obama administration is, “putting the American public’s health and well-being at risk, while continuing to give polluters a free ride.”

From Brune’s statement:

Although no amount of regulation will make fracking acceptable, the proposed BLM rules fail even to take obvious steps to make it safer. This proposal does not require drillers to disclose all chemicals being used for fracking and continues to allow trade-secret exemptions for the oil and gas industry. There is no requirement for baseline water testing and no setback requirements to govern how close to homes and schools drilling can happen. The new rules also continue to allow the use of toxic diesel fuel for fracking, as well as open pits for storing wastewater — two practices that we know to be environmentally hazardous.

Similarly, Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke said the newly proposed rules are, “riddled with gaping holes that endanger clean, safe drinking water supplies for millions of Americans nationwide.”

From the NRDC statement:

These rules protect industry, not people. They are riddled with gaping holes that endanger clean, safe drinking water supplies for millions of Americans nationwide. They also put the fate of millions of acres of America’s last remaining wild places in jeopardy. With fracking already moving full steam ahead on federal lands, we need protective ground rules for communities and the environment. Instead, this draft is a blueprint for business-as-usual industrialization of our landscapes.

The administration has a responsibility to be a leader in guarding against the risks of fracking. They must shift the direction away from industry wish lists and toward drinking water protection. That means addressing the major shortfalls in this draft before issuing a final rule, and preventing expanded fracking from moving forward unless and until sufficient safeguards are in place.

You can download the entire document and read it for yourself here: BLM’s Revised Hydraulic Fracturing Rules

PG&E Draws Record Fine; Transco Bows to Feds on Rockaway Line; Activists Training Area Residents to Spot Pipeline Violations in Pennsylvania

fjgallagher — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:49:58 +0000

A natural gas explosion in San Bruno, Calfornia, on Sept. 9, 2010, touched off an enormous fire that destroyed an entire neighborhood, killing eight people. The California PUC yesterday recommended that PG&E pay a record $2.25 billion fine for their role in the deadly incident.

The California Public Utilities Commission yesterday recommended a record $2.25 billion fine be levied against Pacific Gas & Electric for the utility’s role in the massive explosion that killed eight people and destroyed an entire neighborhood in San Bruno, California, two years ago.

“I am recommending the highest penalty possible against PG&E, without compromising safety and I want every penny of it to go toward making PG&E’s system safer,” Brigadier General (CA) Jack Hagan, the Director of the CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division, said in a press release announcing the recommendation.

The fine, Hagan said, represents the largest penalty ever levied by a state regulator.

The $2.25 billion, according to the documents detailing the proposed penalty, would include the estimated $1 billion that PG&E has already spent on pipeline safety efforts, and would have to be paid by the company’s shareholders – as opposed to ratepayers. PG&E would also be subject to regular third-party audits to ensure that the utility does not underspend in other areas to offset the cost of the proposed penalty.

Andrew Kotch, a spokesperson for the CPUC, told NaturalGasWatch.org that PG&E will, “file its reply to the recommendations of the Safety and Enforcement Division and other intervenors on May 24, 2013; the Safety and Enforcement Division and intervenors will then file any replies to PG&E on June 5, 2013. A CPUC decision is expected in late summer.”

You can read the CPUC press release here: CPUC PG&E-San Bruno fine press release.

You can read the 70-page, CPUC staff recommendation here: CPUC staff recommendation for PG&E fine.

*****

This aerial photograph submitted by the Williams Companies to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in connection with the company's application to build a new natural gas pipeline through the Jacob Riis Beach in the Gateway National Recreation Area, shows the route of the proposed pipeline.

After initially insisting that they knew best, officials at the Williams Company agreed recently to redesign their Rockaway Lateral project to conform with a suggestion from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that the underwater portion of the pipeline be buried at least four feet under the sea floor, according to documents obtained by NaturalGasWatch.org.

Williams’ initial plan included specifications showing that the pipeline would be located at a depth of three feet – which was just fine, the company said.

In a March 19 response to the USACE, Williams Manager Tim Perry stated that the four-foot requirement would needlessly delay the project and force cost overruns, adding that, “Transco has extensive experience constructing and operating offshore pipelines. … Therefore, we believe our design balances full protection of the pipeline while minimizing environmental impacts. … Transco believes the measures described above, which provide a depth of at least 3 feet of cover when fully implemented, provide a more than adequate level of protection.”

Under the plans for a new natural gas pipeline proposed by the Williams Companies, the Jacob Riis Park beach would be turned into a construction zone for a new natural gas pipeline that would bring fracked gas from the Marcellus Shale play into New York City.

FERC recently issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Rockaway Lateral line. The agency is seeking public input on the matter and comments must be submitted no later than May 27. Comments can be submitted here.

You can read the entire response from Williams to FERC here: Williams Response – Rockaway Line Recommendations

You can see details of the proposal project here: Williams Response – Attachment 1 – Revised Figures

You can see photos taken by Williams of the recreation areas that will be destroyed here: Williams Response – Attachment 2 Photographs

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The Delaware Riverkeeper Network is offering free training to area residents so that people who live and work where natural gas pipeline are being built can spot pipeline safety violations as they occur.

From the DRN website:

For these pipeline watch trainings, DRN will teach participants a visual assessment that will be used to help document potential pollution originating from the Tennessee Gas Pipeline construction practices, especially during times of rain when sediment pollution can greatly affect the health of surrounding waterbodies. By having a trained corps of local Pipeline Watchers on the ground and reporting issues to agencies, we can help hold these large corporations accountable when they pollute.

The training session is set for May 20, in Montague, New Jersey, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, contact DRN’s Monitoring Director at faith@delawareriverkeeper.org or call 215-369-1188, ext 110.

This Week In Natural Gas Leaks and Explosions – May 6, 2013

fjgallagher — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:58:01 +0000

A shallow natural gas pipeline in Bakersfield, California, exploded and caught fire on Monday, April 22, after a pavement grinder operated by a crew working to repave struck the line, according to recent media reports.

Now, regular readers of This Week In Natural Gas Leaks and Explosions know that, as a matter of course, natural gas leaks and explosions caused by excavation or other contract work are excluded because they occur with such astonishing regularity that noting even the worst of them would make this feature far, far longer than it already is. But special circumstances force us to take note of this incident, even though it occurred at the hands of a contractor.

Ed. Note – If you enjoy the coverage and content you receive here at NaturalGasWatch.org, please take a moment to click on one of the advertisements you will find on the right-hand side of the page. Your support will help us keep this site up and running. Thanks for your support. Fj

Anyone who is going to do some digging, either professionally or on their own at home, should call the DigSafe hotline by dialing 811 before turning the first spade of earth to make sure that no natural gas lines are located in the area where the digging is set to occur. Indeed, contractors who fail to do so can be held liable in the event of a puncture.

In the Bakersfield explosion, the contractor made the call and was told by the area utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, that everything was okay.

From the Bakersfield Californian:

“This company did that,” acknowledged local PG&E spokeswoman Katie Allen. “They had a valid USA tag.”

USA, or Underground Service Alert, is a free service for homeowners and professional contractors who are planning to dig, trench, drill, grade or otherwise excavate below the surface.

But the process didn’t appear to be effective in helping Pavement Recycling avoid tearing into a natural gas main located much closer to the road surface than standards permit.

A round-up of natural gas explosions from around the country. Don't see your city or town in the round-up? Odds are, it'll be there soon.

In Toledo, Ohio, investigating authorities are saying – and a Columbia Gas spokesperson has confirmed – that a natural gas leak caused an explosion on Thursday, April 25, that destroyed one home and damaged several others, according to recent media accounts.

From Fox19.com:

Fire crews were called to a home on Huron Avenue near Bush Street in north Toledo just after 1 p.m. Thursday on a report of a fire. When crews arrived there was no fire, but the home was collapsed. Debris covered the area. The front door was found across the street.

“Just heard a big boom,” said neighbor Craig Baldwin. “All of a sudden, all you heard was a big explosion…Whole house blew to smithereens.”

Also in Toledo, Ohio, on Friday, May 3, a Columbia Gas worker in suffered serious injuries when the natural gas pipeline he was working on caught fire, according to recent media accounts. No one else was injured in the event, which a Columbia Gas spokesperson characterized as a “flare-up” instead of an explosion, although authorities did evacuate several area residents.

Local authorities evacuated inmates from the Houghton County Jail in Houghton, Michigan, on Sunday, May 5, while they investigated a natural gas leak in the area. Inmates were returned to their cells after the area was deemed safe.