PG+E created own pipeline safety rule

To avoid time-consuming and costly inspections of natural-gas transmission pipelines, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG+E) created its own safety standard federal officials said was an “incorrect” interpretation of government safety regulations.

March 24, 2011

To avoid time-consuming and costly inspections of natural-gas transmission pipelines, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG+E) created its own safety standard federal officials said was an “incorrect” interpretation of government safety regulations.

PG+E decided in 2008 it would test for weld problems on its older lines only if pressure on the pipes had spiked to a level 10 percent above a standard defined under federal rules, according to a report published in the San Francisco Chronicle. They cited an internal company document instructing its operators how to manage the gas-transmission system.

Read the full-length article here.