Leaks

With more production and more miles of gathering pipelines inevitably comes the risk of more leaks, and there is no silver bullet that will make the production and transportation of crude oil leak-free, a soon-to-be-released think tank study in North Dakota has concluded.

Massachusetts lawmakers last year passed a law requiring natural gas utilities to map and report leaks throughout their distribution systems. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) says the same should be done nationwide.

In selected parts of the Greater Los Angeles area in Southern California, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Google's Earth Outreach unit are turning up numerous methane leaks and pinpointing the locations for Sempra Energy's Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

In selected parts of the Greater Los Angeles area in Southern California, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Google’s Earth Outreach unit are turning up numerous methane leaks and pinpointing the locations for Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Wednesday asked natural gas utilities to weigh in on a staff report that identifies some of the best practices and new technologies in methane leak detection.

Beleaguered by fallout from the fatal San Bruno natural gas transmission pipeline failure, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) now contends that its stepped-up pipeline maintenance and safety programs are beginning to pay dividends. It is citing a 99% reduction in what it called minor pipeline leaks last year as a positive indicator.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been doing a lackluster job of addressing methane emissions from natural gas distribution pipelines, and more than $192 million in natural gas was lost in 2011 through pipeline leaks, according to the agency’s Inspector General (IG).

While much of the focus of the booming natural gas market is drilling, production and new pipelines, in the background is a drive to speed up repair and replacement of older lines that are straining under new, heavier loads.

Washington state regulators saidPuget Sound Energy(PSE) has agreed to pay a $275,000 penalty to settle a natural gas safety complaint lodged against the Bellevue, WA-based combination utility last year regarding a pipeline leak, explosion and house fire in North Seattle in 2011. TheWashington Utilities and Transportation Commission(WUTC) alleged that PSE violated certain gas safety rules when it responded to reports of gas leaks in the Pinehurst neighborhood of Seattle two years ago. An explosion and fire subsequently destroyed a home and injured two people. Under the settlement, PSE admits there were violations and agreed to pay the penalty. The utility is not allowed to pass on the cost of the fine in the retail rates it charges customers. The WUTC staff found the cause of the leaks late last year and recommended a $400,000 penalty (seeDaily GPI,Dec. 28, 2012).