Springfield, MA, officials plan to ask Columbia Gas Co. of Massachusetts for $1 million to cover damages tied to the explosion on its natural gas system in late November. The explosion on the Columbia Gas system rocked Springfield in a three to four block radius, damaging 42 homes and businesses and sending 18 people, mostly first responders, to area hospitals (see NGI, Dec. 3, 2012). Human error by a utility employee was cited as the cause of the blast. According to the initial findings of the fire marshal and the state’s Department of Public Utilities, an unidentified employee of Columbia Gas “accidentally punctured” a pipe in the vicinity of a business on Worthington St., which was the epicenter of the explosion. The proposed settlement would be carved into three components, each carrying a $300,000 to $400,000 price tag. The first component would include fixed costs, such as damages to emergency vehicles, over-time costs and costs for clean-up activities, while the second component addresses personal injury costs and lost time for city workers. The third component would go toward a redevelopment effort of the area.
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Springfield to Ask Columbia for $1M in Damages from Pipe Blast
The top officials of Springfield, MA, plan to ask Columbia Gas Co. of Massachusetts for $1 million to cover damages tied to the explosion on its natural gas system in late November.
Massachusetts Probes Two Gas Blast Areas
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) will focus on two areas as it investigates the recent natural gas explosion on the Columbia Gas Co. of Massachusetts’ system that rocked Springfield, MA — when the sidewalk markings indicating the location of the distribution system were made and why they were incorrect, a department spokeswoman told NGI.
Columbia Gas of Massachusetts Employee Shuts Off Gas Main, Orders Evacuation
“Human error” by a utility employee caused an explosion on the Columbia Gas Co. of Massachusetts system that rocked Springfield, MA, Friday night, damaging 42 homes and businesses and sending 18 people, mostly first responders, to area hospitals, said state Fire Marshall Stephen Coan and the Massachusetts’ Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Sunday. But the head of the company said the worker followed proper procedure.
Tougher Interstate Gas Pipe Restrictions Considered
Federal regulators are seeking to toughen regulations for interstate natural gas pipelines following two deadly explosions that rocked the West and East Coasts within the past year.
Regulators Consider Tougher Safety Restrictions on Interstate Pipes
Federal regulators are seeking to toughen regulations for interstate natural gas pipelines following two deadly explosions that rocked the West and East Coasts within the past year.
PG&E Seeks Replacement After CEO Suddenly Resigns
PG&E Corp. and its beleaguered combination utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), were rocked by a sudden setback when its CEO for the past six years, Peter Darbee, announced on Thursday that he was retiring early and the PG&E board accepted his resignation. Lead outside Director Lee Cox, a former telecommunications CEO, will assume Darbee’s chairman/CEO/President role on an interim basis effective April 30.
Long-Awaited Trial Against Lay, Skilling to Begin
The scandal that rocked the energy trading world and defined “off balance sheet transactions” comes full circle Monday, Jan. 30, 2006 when former Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling begin their long-awaited trial in Houston. An estimated 200 million pages of documents have been submitted, 300 potential witnesses may be called to testify, and prosecutors have named more than 100 co-conspirators in a trial expected to last up to four months.
Chemical Producers Press Bush Administration to Lift OCS Restrictions
Chemical producers, who have been rocked by escalating natural gas prices, called on the Bush administration this week to lift the restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling in much of the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
Shell Updates Guidelines on Booking Reserves
Eighteen months after a reserves accounting scandal rocked Royal Dutch/Shell Group, the London-based major on Thursday published updated internal rules on how it will book oil and natural gas reserves in the future. The 42-page report is designed to meet Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidelines.