Boxer, Feinstein Urge Federal Agency to Inspect California Pipelines Following Explosion in San Bruno

Senators Ask Agency to Begin Inspections of the 1,500 Miles of Interstate Pipelines To Help Prevent Future Disasters

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein (both D-CA) today urged the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to immediately order inspections of federally regulated interstate natural gas pipelines throughout California – with a priority on those near residential areas – following the fatal gas explosion in San Bruno last week.

Boxer and Feinstein pointed out that while the California Public Utilities Commission has ordered Pacific Gas & Electric to begin inspecting its share of the 11,963 miles of state-regulated intrastate natural gas pipelines, there also must be thorough inspections of the 1,508 miles of interstate natural gas transmission pipelines that are regulated by the federal government.

In the letter, Boxer and Feinstein asked the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to provide a list of cities and counties in California where these pipelines are located, dates of installation and upgrades of pipelines, and a schedule of past and future inspections to make sure the pipelines are being maintained properly.

Senator Boxer, who toured the damaged areas in San Bruno over the weekend, also sent a letter to California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey today expressing her support for the commission’s decision to order PG&E to immediately inspect its natural gas pipelines – beginning with those near residential areas – and to provide a full accounting of its procedures for responding to gas leak reports.

The full text of the letter from Senator Boxer and Feinstein is below:

September 13, 2010

The Honorable Cynthia L. Quarterman
Administrator
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Administrator Quarterman:

This weekend, we witnessed the devastating damage in San Bruno, California where a natural gas pipeline explosion claimed the lives of at least four people and injured 60 others. More than three dozen homes were destroyed.

Californians must feel confident that their communities are safe and that the regulatory agencies responsible for maintaining natural gas pipelines are doing everything possible to guarantee their safety. It is critical that the public’s confidence is restored and that utilities are held accountable for the safety of their pipelines.

While this particular pipeline was an intrastate pipeline under the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission, we request that you immediately begin inspections of the 1,500 miles of interstate natural gas transmission pipelines in California that fall under Federal jurisdiction – with priority given to those near residential areas. We also ask that you provide us with the following information:

The total number of miles of all interstate natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines located within the State of California and a list of those pipelines located in residential areas.
A list of California cities and counties in which these pipelines are located.
The installation dates for these pipelines and the dates any upgrades or improvements were completed.
The schedule by which these pipelines are inspected. Please list the dates of the most recent inspections and any scheduled future inspections.

Given the seriousness of this matter, we request that this information be provided to us within the next few working days.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer, United States Senator

Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator