Page 25 - ARUBA TODAY

BUSINESS Monday 17 SepteMber 2018
A25

An old problem: Aging pipelines lead to deadly explosions

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ earth's surface that's mostly
AP Business Writer made up of methane. It is
The natural gas pipeline in extracted from the ground
the United States is vast, and distributed in pipelines
sprawling across 2.5 million that span 2.5 million miles
miles in a complex pres- nationwide.
surized system that deliv- The gas is delivered to
ers a quarter of the energy customers initially through
consumed nationwide, ac- high-pressure pipelines and
cording to the American it goes through a process to
Gas Association. Many of reduce its pressure before
the pipes are old, and utili- entering smaller pipelines
ties are in various stages of and eventually homes and
replacing them to improve businesses.
safety. "In some places, we have
There have been more 100-year-old gas lines com-
than 300 fatalities and 1,200 ing up to people's houses,"
injuries caused by natural said Bob Ackley, owner of
gas pipeline incidents in Gas Safety, Inc., a Massa-
the last 20 years, according chusetts-based company.
to data from the Pipeline WHEN HAVE THERE BEEN
and Hazardous Materials SIMILAR EXPLOSIONS?
Safety Administration, the In February, gas-relat-
federal agency responsible ed fires in Dallas killed a
for overseeing the industry. 12-year-old girl, destroyed
As residents recover from three residences and in-
Thursday's stunning explo- jured others. A review by
sions in Lawrence, Mass., the National Transporta-
many wonder what they tion Safety Board later
can do to protect them- found that several sections
selves. of pipe near the incident
A series of fiery natural gas site failed pressure tests.A
explosions three towns north gas explosion in 2014 killed
of Boston killed a teenager, eight people in New York
injured at least 25 others City, and the utility Consoli-
and left dozens of homes in dated Edison later agreed
smoldering ruins. The cause to pay $153 million to settle
is under investigation by charges that it violated
the National Transporta- safety regulations.
tion Safety Board, but the In 2011, five people were A man on a bicycle rides past a house destroyed by fire on Springfield St in Lawrence, Mass.,
Massachusetts Emergency killed by a natural gas ex- Friday, Sept. 14, 2018.
Management Agency said plosion in Allentown, Penn- Associated Press
the fires may have resulted sylvania, and regulators
from gas lines that had be- called the utility's safety re- industry said wait a second pany also began a bilin- to request to have their gas
come over-pressurized. cord "downright alarming." here, we've got all these gual campaign to inform lines checked for leaks and
Following fatal gas pipe- Eight people were killed old pipelines, there's a lot customers they should call to learn where the pipelines
line incidents, the Depart- and 38 homes were de- of disasters waiting to hap- whenever they suspect a are in their homes. "They
ment of Transportation in stroyed in San Bruno, Calif. pen." gas leak. can request a safety check
2011 called on the industry in 2010 when a Pacific Gas NiSource was spending $80 Incidents have also oc- at any time," Ackley said.q
to replace aging pipelines, and Electric gas pipeline million to $120 million an- curred when gas lines were
particularly those made of exploded. nually in Massachusetts to damaged during excava-
cast and wrought iron and WHAT CAN UTILITIES DO TO modernize its infrastructure, tion, and some utilities have
bare steel that pose the IMPROVE SAFETY? spending the vast major- installed above-ground
highest risk. Utilities nationwide are ity on replacing aging gas markers to indicate the lo-
More than 177 million peo- continually replacing older pipelines, Fishman said. cation of buried gas lines,
ple nationwide use natu- pipelines made of cast iron Those efforts are likely to according to the American
ral gas in their homes and or certain types of steel accelerate, but "you can't Gas Association.
businesses to provide heat, with newer steel or plastic tear up every street in the WHAT CAN CONSUMERS
cook and dry clothes, ac- pipes, according to the downtown at the same DO TO STAY SAFE?
cording to the American American Gas Association. time...and it would dramat- If people think they smell
Gas Association. Colum- Many, including NiSource, ically increase the cost to gas in their homes, experts
bia Gas — the company accelerated those efforts do it really, really quick," he say they should leave the
whose pipelines exploded after the deadly San Bruno added. house or building imme-
Thursday — and its parent incident, said Charles Fish- After the deadly New York diately and call 911. They
company NiSource serve man, an analyst with Morn- gas explosion in 2014, Con should not light a match,
3.4 million natural gas cus- ingstar Research Services Ed set in motion a fleet of make a cell phone call or
tomers across seven East- who covers NiSource and trucks that drives around turn on lights or applianc-
ern states. other utilities. the streets of New York es since that can cause a
HOW IS NATURAL GAS DIS- "There was a real tragedy, City with leak detection spark.
TRIBUTED? and I think that woke peo- equipment, passing each To be proactive, home-
Natural gas is a fossil fuel ple up across the country," customer location at least owners also can call their
found deep beneath the Fishman said. "The whole once a month. The com- utilities or fire departments