Federal regulators are proposing a series of rules changes aimed at toughening safety requirements for millions of miles of gas distribution pipelines nationwide following a string of gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018. The proposed changes are recommended by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. They aim to improve safety and ease risk through the improvement of emergency response plans, integrity management plans, operation manuals and other steps. This proposal follows a series of blasts in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts that left a teenager dead, about two dozen injured and destroyed or damaged more than 130 properties.
The proposal calls for improved construction procedures to minimize the risk of overpressurized pipelines and updated management programs to prepare for over-pressurization incidentsFederal regulators are proposing a series of rules changes aimed at toughening safety requirements for millions of miles of gas distribution pipelines nationwide following a string of gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018.
The explosions and fires in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover in September 2018 left a teenager dead, about two dozen injured and destroyed or damaged more than 130 properties. Thousands of residents and businesses were also left without natural gas service for heat and hot water for months in some cases.Sign up for NECN newsletters.
The explosions were caused by overpressurized pipelines operated by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, according to a federal investigation. The utility agreed to pay the state $56 million in 2020 in addition to a $53 million federal fine and a $143 million lawsuit settlement. Sunday marks two years since the Merrimack Valley was rocked by gas explosions. During an emotional ceremony, the family of the man who died, Leonel Rondon, thanked firefighters for their continued efforts to keep their community safe.
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