Gas Pipeline Explosion

Many of you who are citizens of Delmont Borough may be wondering why I would include this post under Delmont Council Activities.  I hope all of you are aware prior to my election to Council the Borough granted easements to Sunoco for the Mariner 2 Pipeline to pass through our Borough.  My original position is there is not much that can be done with pipelines because these are Federally Regulate and the transmission of oil and gas throughout the Country can be claimed a National Security issue.  When I attempted to attend the Town Hall Meeting in Salem Township when I arrived there was no room to even enter the building.  There was an activist there who tried to tell me that new lines could be fought because there is enough infrastructure to support movement now that the oil and gas companies just want their own lines so they don't have to pay to use what is there.  I have not researched enough to comment on that claim, but it was interesting.  I even talked a little bit with one of Keith Rothfus staff members about some of what you will find in this post.

When I went to the meeting I was not overly interested in what the Gas company was saying about the incident.  My personal belief is that the information would be rudimentary at best and most of the "information" would be Public Relations sophistry to convenience everyone of how safe gas and oil pipelines are.  I just wanted to formally request a copy of the official NTSB report that would have all the facts in it.  The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) is the Agency responsible for regulating the oil and gas lines.

Here is a list of my personal beliefs in case you feel that I am becoming too biased.

1. We all use either gas, oil, or both.  If we want these services the lines have to go somewhere. Nobody really wants them in their backyards.
2. In this incident the safety procedures worked well because the gas was shut off fairly quickly and there was no loss of life and limited damage compared to what could have been.
3. This incident should act as a wake up call to all the people who have fracking wells on their property or who are considering allowing wells on their property.  Yes, I know a transmission line is not the same as a fracking well but explosions and fires are possible at wells.  Why do you think they offer what seems like so much money when they are trying to start?
4. When any pipe is laid the company has a good idea of how long that pipe is going to last, but they make no effort to put money aside for replacement because they rather raise rates when the infrastructure needs to be updated.
5. Oil and Gas companies employ large numbers of actuaries to calculate the costs of damage and loss of life from accidents.  Sadly in some cases they may take the risk that leads to loss of life and property because it is so unlikely or would be cheaper to pay for it at some future time.
6. There is very little if anything that can be done to change locations of current pipelines.

I am not a big fan of more rules or regulations; however, when the bureaucracy is already in place and the life and property of citizens in our Commonwealth and Nation are in danger, it becomes necessary to make changes.  Yes, the gas and oil industry are in a bit of a slump right now, and some of the cost will probably filter down to us in higher utility bills because that is how the industry deals with cost increases.

Here is a list of points that I believe should be incorporated into Pennsylvania law at a minimum.  I would encourage all citizens to contact their State Senators and Representatives to push these initiatives.

1. If PA is going to be a major player in the Oil and Gas Industry the companies who are utilizing our resources ought to establish a HellFire response base somewhere in the central part of our state.  Gas and oil fires are special fire circumstances and beyond the capabilities of local fire departments.  We were lucky that the gas was able to be turned off.  Next time we may not be so lucky.  A lot of death and destruction is possible within the four plus hours it would take for the fire fighters to immobilize from Texas.  From a central location in PA it would be 2 hours max to respond to an incident within the State.
2. There should be accident scenarios developed for homes,farms, and business that could be damaged or destroyed by pipeline and well accidents to include worse case possible.  The results should be shared with the citizens that live in or have a business in those areas.
3. Gas and Oil lines are a necessary part of life.and they have risks no matter how small they may be.  In real estate transfers major pipe and well locations should be disclosed immediately along with the accident scenario so buyers can make informed choices if they want to assume the risk.  We make choices about risk everyday in driving and flying on airplanes.  Property owners have the same rights to make choices.
4. Gas and oil companies ought to be required to set monies aside for infrastructure repair to pipelines.  They know how much service life to expect.  Although these costs will eventually be passed on to the consumer, it will prevent the rate increases in the twelfth hour to ensure safe service.
5. The companies ought to be required to set up a found for people killed and property destroyed by pipeline and well accidents.  They may make safer decisions if they have large sums of their own money at stake instead of relying on insurance companies to pay all damages.

These are the points that I wanted to cover at the meeting.  Your comments are appreciated.
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