4 Bills filed to address Natural Gas Pipeline safety, repairs and maintenance
Currently, the Commonwealth's natural gas pipeline infrastructure has more than 20,000 known leaks contributing to more than 8 billion cubic feet of annual unaccounted for natural gas, also known as methane. Awareness of this problem tends to come into sharp focus around the public safety hazard most apparent when fires occur or buildings explode. These cases are often tragic and high profile, but the situation deserves our attention before a crisis occurs and for reasons beyond public safety.
Channel 5, WCVB Boston, did a three-part Team 5 Investigates series on this issue:
These bills have bipartisan and bicameral co-sponsorship from over 40 Massachusetts legislators. The bill requires utilities to grade and systematically repair known leaks in their pipeline structure under our streets, homes, and buildings.
Massachusetts has the second oldest natural gas delivery system in the nation and the highest amount of cast iron pipes (the most vulnerable to decay) per capita.
According to the Federal Department of Transportation, between 8-12 billion cu ft of methane escape each year into the environment from our natural gas pipeline infrastructure. Methane is 27 times as potent of a greenhouse gas as CO2.
There are approximately 20,000 known leaks throughout the Commonwealth.
Recent studies indicate that leaking gas is killing trees by depriving them of oxygen. The cost to replace these trees is likely in the tens of millions of dollars statewide, with the burden falling on struggling municipalities.
The current leak grading system is voluntary. It costs approximated $2,500 to repair a leak, a cost significantly less than complete replacement and considering the cost of lost natural gas from the leak, the breakeven point for repair is about 2 years depending on the severity of the leak.
Leaks never get better, they only get worse, which is why they need to be closely monitored and repaired.
Unfortunately, industry does not focus enough resources to upgrading and replacing our aging natural gas pipeline infrastructure. The failure to promptly and adequately address and repair natural gas leaks once detected is risky and unsettling to say the least. By filing these four bills, I hope to draw attention to the growing problem of natural gas pipeline infrastructure maintenance and compel proper maintenance and repair:
This most comprehensive bill of the four establishes a Natural Gas Leak Classification Standard to classify and prioritize leaks for repair. All leaks are classified and must be repaired within the maximum time frame of 3 years.
Cast iron mains have a long life span but can be dangerous if they are not monitored and maintained. They are most susceptible to significant damage during below freezing weather. Frost heaves can wreak havoc on cast iron due to its brittle nature. When heavy frost or oscillating temperatures below and above freezing are present, this is the time to be performing surveys known as "winter patrol". Winter patrol is a survey performed by driving a gas sensing vehicle over all cast iron mains during these weather conditions to locate any gas leakage before it becomes a danger or even an explosion. This legislation ensures that gas companies perform winter patrols on a regular and timely schedule.
This proposed legislation will allow transparency of the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), division of Pipeline Safety, similar to the available information on the Department of Transportation (DOT), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) internet sites. The DOT-PHMSA regulates the natural gas industry with federal regulations. The availability of information from this agency is abundant and valuable in maintaining and increasing public safety. For example, it's very helpful to know which rules and regulations have been interpreted or waived. The same or similar information should be available to the citizens of Massachusetts from our DPU to ensure oversight is being conducted in a responsible manner and open to the public. There is no known notice provided to the public today in terms of safety and enforcement issues outside of a formal, docketed proceeding. This legilslation will end that vacancy and increase the ability of public and professional scrutiny, which can only lead to a safer natural gas distribution system.
With over 20,000 known natural gas (methane) leaks in the underground infrastructure in Massachusetts, damage to trees has become widespread. Prolonged gas leaks cause soil to become hydrophobic, thereby destroying vegetation in close proximity after a period of time. Trapped methane due to gas leaks displaces the oxygen levels normally found in soil that trees need to live. When the oxygen level is reduced, trees struggle to survive. Municipalities spend millions of dollars per year to remove and replace shade trees. So often replacement trees meet the same fate of the trees removed because the gas leak that caused the original tree to die is not repaired. This legislation requires that trees suspected of having been harmed by a gas leak be reported to the gas company to be inspected by an arborist.
Press:
During the 2009-2010 legislative session this bill was a "late file" so it required and received unanimous consent from House and Senate before it was assigned to the Joint Committee on Telecommunications and Energy. The bill was also assigned a number: H.4699 and assigned a hearing, Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 1:00 in State House Room B2. The hearing was packed mostly with people concerned about public safety, the environment, and jobs.For the 2011-2012 session the bill has been retooled and refiled along with three other related and important bills. Below are links to newspaper and television media coverage on the topic from both legislative sessions.
