A federal agency has ordered a natural gas pipeline company to conduct additional assessments on three lines buried in western Pennsylvania, including one that has corrosion similar to a fourth line that blew up in April, scorching some 40 acres.
The Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said the other lines in Salem Township, Westmoreland County “potentially have been damaged or adversely affected” by the April 29 blast.
The new assessments could lead to pipeline upgrades.
Spectra Energy Corp. of Houston is cooperating with the investigation. Spokesman Creighton Welch said the order is “well-aligned” with Spectra’s plans to improve its Penn-Jersey pipeline system and that many items recommended in the report have been completed or begun.
Preliminary findings indicate a pipeline weld coated with tape failed, causing the explosion which leveled a nearby home in the rural township and badly burned its owner.
Topics Pennsylvania
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Trump Says Illegal Immigration Increased Car Insurance but Experts Say Otherwise 
IMA Latest to Sue Howden Over Alleged Employee Poaching 
Flood Insurance Gap Will Squeeze Local Governments and Homeowners, Moody’s Says 
Eli Lilly Wins Court Order in Fraud Allegations Against Florida, TN Pharmacy Groups 
