|
On May 9, the Public Utility Commission voted to approve a settlement with a $250,000 civil penalty regarding the over-pressurization incident affecting the Peoples Natural Gas Company LLC distribution system in Robinson, Indiana County.
The incident, which occurred on April 29, 2020, damaged both customer and utility-owned equipment.
The settlement, approved by the Commissioners by a vote of 5-0, includes a $250,000 civil penalty and addresses shortcomings identified by the PUC's independent Bureau of Investigation & Enforcement.
These include failure to follow company procedures by technicians, insufficiently detailed training materials provided by Peoples Natural Gas, and possible design flaws in the regulator station.
Following the incident, Peoples Natural Gas replaced 11 furnaces, 70 water heaters, one range, 194 furnace valves, and 135 water tank valves.
Additionally, approximately 4,552 feet of steel pipe and 133 service lines were replaced. Daily leak surveys were conducted for eight weeks until all leaking service lines were replaced.
As part of the settlement, Peoples Natural Gas will not attempt to recover the $250,000 civil penalty in any future rate case.
The utility also incurred just over $305,000 in costs to replace damaged private property, which will also not be recovered in future rate cases.
Furthermore, the settlement requires the utility to review all regulator stations within its distribution system, prioritize improvement projects based on a risk model, and implement procedural and training enhancements to prevent future incidents.
Documents related to this case can be found at PUC Docket No.: M-2023-3024990.
Special Link:
-- We’re Heard This Before: ‘We’re Providing Jobs - Stopping Pollution Threatens Jobs’ - A Brief Review Of Pennsylvania’s Conservation History [PaEN]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 4 to 10 - 32 More Abandoned Conventional Well Violations; Failure To Cleanup Spills; Failure To Get Permits [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - May 11 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 80 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 11 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Hundreds Of Residents Warn Against Impacts Of Shale Gas Development In Cecil Township, Washington County [PaEN]
-- Two Months: Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Continues To Surround The Home Of A Senate Witness Who Opposes The Illegal Practice [PaEN]
-- Moody & Associates Study Finds Discharge Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater To The Ground Surface ‘Not A Viable Management Practice'; Supports Ban On Road Dumping; Onsite Disposal [PaEN]
-- DEP To Propose Changes To Coproduct Determination Process In Residual Waste Regulations; Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Tried To Use This Process To Legalize Road Dumping Their Wastewater [PaEN]
-- Sen. Yaw To Introduce Bill To Punish Counties That Seek To Protect Their Residents From Impacts Of Natural Gas Thru Lawsuits [PaEN]
-- PUC Approves Settlement In Peoples Gas Pipeline Over-Pressurization Failure That Damaged Hundreds Of Furnaces, Water Heaters [PaEN]
-- Sen. Comitta, Sen. Santarsiero, Rep. Friel-Otten, Rep. Abney Introduce Gov. Shapiro's Clean Energy/Climate Plan Bills [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection: Concerns Remain On Grid Reliability With Final EPA Rule Setting Tougher Air Pollution Standards On New Gas, Existing Coal-fired Power Plants [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Are Everywhere In PA; An Influx Of Funding Gives DEP New Urgency To Find, Plug Them
-- Post-Gazette Editorial: When A Current Conventional Oil & Gas Operator Buys Wells They Assume All The Liabilities, While Not Passing Costs Of Plugging To Taxpayers; State Could Pay Some Of Costs
-- PA Capital-Star/Capital & Main: Oil/Gas Companies Must Set Aside More Money To Plug Wells On Federal Land Rule Says, But It Won’t Be Enough
-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Senate Passes Bill To Change Permit Review For Energy Projects
-- WHYY: Plan To Move LNG Gas By Tanker Truck From PA To Proposed NJ Export Facility Moving Forward
-- WTAE: Concerns Over Fracking In Cecil Township, Washington County
-- KDKA: Cecil Township Residents Raise Concerns About Potential Fracking Plans
-- Cleveland.com: Oil And Gas Wastewater Injection Wells Owned By Ohio Senator Are Leaking; State Paid $1.3 Million To Clean It Up
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline Ruptures In Water Pressure Test Near Roanoke, Virginia
-- The Guardian: Vermont Poised To Become First US State To Charge Big Oil For Climate Damage; Modeled On Federal Superfund Cleanup Program
-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Output To Decline In 2024 As Producers Cut Drilling Activities, While Demand Rises To Record High - EIA
-- Bloomberg: Europe Braces For Billions In Writedowns In Stranded Gas Assets As Fossil Fuels Are Phased Out
-- Bloomberg: Build Out Of Approved US LNG Gas Export Terminals Delayed By Construction ‘Hiccups’
-- Reuters: Chinese Look To Buy Stake In Canadian LNG Gas Export Facility
[Posted: May 9, 2024]
|
