The Government Accountability Office has said that federal and state regulators should require natural-gas pipeline operators to install automatic shutoff valves or take other measures to ensure they can quickly stop the flow of gas during an emergency.
About 2.5 million miles of pipelines containing natural gas or other hazardous materials criss-cross the U.S. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which devises safety rules for pipeline operators, doesn’t currently have requirements that ensure pipeline operators respond as quickly as possible to a pipeline rupture, the GAO said in a pipeline safety report.
While the costs of installing automated shutoff valves can range from tens of thousands of dollars to 1 million USD per valve, automated valves can limit the damage to property and the environment, and in some cases could save lives, the GAO said in the report.
The PHMSA should gather data nationwide about operators’ response times following pipeline ruptures so that the agency can determine how quickly pipeline operators should respond to pipeline ruptures, the GAO said.
The San Bruno pipeline explosion caused a fire that killed eight people, injured 58 others and destroyed or damaged more than 100 homes. State regulators have said they plan to fine PG&E for the disaster, but those decisions are still pending. The GAO pipeline safety report was required by the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty and Job Creation Act of 2011.
