So much for "clean burning natural gas with high BTU output.." Well, except for smoke from 9 houses, the surrounding woods, and asphalt from a 15 foot deep pit that was Interstate 77 - all in flames near Charleston, WV yesterday afternoon..
SISSONVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The wall of the natural gas pipeline that exploded in Sissonville, W.Va. on Tuesday had deteriorated to LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH THICK, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed Wednesday evening.
The NTSB also said there was a sudden pressure drop in the pipeline just before the explosion but they still had not determined whether that caused the explosion.
The explosion and ensuing fire destroyed four homes, damaged at least five others and damaged an 800-foot stretch of I-77.
The 10-member NTSB team determined that the pipeline had lost SEVENTY PERCENT OF ITS THICKNESS in spots.
Pieces of the pipeline will be sent to Washington, D.C. for further examination.
LINK TO ARTICLE
SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY.. when companies cut corners, profits are increased, and if you have almost no supervision of a company's activities then it is no wonder that those essential maintenance jobs don't get done. I hope that Columbia Transmission gets their butts kicked. Are people also aware almost the ENTIRE Columbia gas pipeline system is also a Superfund site also due mainly to the presence of Mercury and PCB's but also Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene (BTEX) and some polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds? I don't suppose anyone will watch for the cancer clusters and birth defects that are likely to appear in this area a year or two down the line..
ReplyDeleteDETAILS: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/WV0000229666.htm