WV Gas Pipeline Fire on 3/9/16
Kanawha County fire ruled not to be caused by explosion
From an Article by Chris Lawrence, WV MetroNews, March 9, 2016
BELLE, W.Va. — Four different gas companies are now involved in the investigation of a gas pipeline fire which happened a little after 6 a.m. on Wednesday. The first reports indicated smoke in the area around 6:30 a.m. By 7 a.m. there were reports of a fire.
The fire was first reported as being caused by an explosion, but emergency crews determined Wednesday afternoon that none occurred.
“Fire departments responded and found a gas facility on fire,” said Kanawha County Deputy Emergency Manger C.W. Sigman. “It’s where about four different companies have pipelines coming together. It used to be the site of a small compressor station.”
The compressor station was removed years ago, but many of the pipelines in the area have exposed valves. Sigman said all fire fighters could do was sit back and watch it burn while they waited for the gas company to arrive.
“The gas companies showed up and diverted the gas other directions,” Sigman said. “It went out pretty much on its own after they got the valves turned off.”
Fortunately no significant damage was reported and nobody was injured. The fire’s location was in a remote area outside of Belle and there were no homes or other buildings near the blaze.
“It was an isolated area, probably three quarters of a mile away from the nearest house,” Sigman said.
The fire was determined to have started in the regulator station. A cause for the fire is still under investigation.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
US Senate approves pipeline safety bill
From an Article by Devin Henry, The Hill News Service, March 3, 2016
The Senate has approved a bill overhauling federal energy pipeline rules and reauthorizing the main agency overseeing pipeline safety in a vote Thursday.
The legislation, from a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) through 2019 and takes new steps to cut down on spills and other problems with the American pipeline network.
The Senate approved the bill on a unanimous cosent Thursday evening.
“Every day across America, resources vital to our nation’s energy and economic security move through more than 2.5 million miles of pipeline,” Fischer said in a statement.
“For families, consumers, workers, and businesses across our nation, the safety and security of our extensive pipeline network must remain a top priority. The bill we passed today will enhance the safety of these pipelines through stronger congressional oversight and necessary improvements to PHMSA.”
Beyond reauthorizing PHMSA, the bill will direct the agency to prioritize its current regulatory agenda over new rulemaking. It calls for new mapping technology and safety programs for pipelines and gives the agency new hiring powers.
California’s two senators signed on as sponsors a few weeks ago when lawmakers included in the bill a working group to address a methane leak at a natural gas storage facility in Aliso Canyon, Calif. The group will report to Congress and recommend policies to keep similar leaks from happening again.
Lawmakers have criticized PHMSA for its slow regulatory process. Of the 42 rules mandated in a major 2011 pipeline safety law, the agency has only completed 26.
Lawmakers looked to write a PHMSA reauthorization bill that gives the agency the flexibility to complete those outstanding regulations before focusing on other issues.
“Work on this reauthorization needs to make sure that PHMSA can stay focused on closing out the 2011 act,” Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), the chairman of the Transportation Committee, said in February.
Two House committees probed federal pipeline rules within the last two weeks. The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a discussion draft of members’ proposed legislation on Tuesday.
“We cannot achieve the intended objectives of the Pipeline Safety Act until it has been fully implemented,” Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said, referring to the 2011 law.
See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net
Point Your RSS Reader to FrackCheckWV.net/feed/
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello,
We live near a 9 exhaust compressor station. We have concerns about the noise, vibration, and general heath issues. My blood pressure has dramatically increased, no sleep, skin issues since the station went in.
We have contacted the Compressor owners and EPA. Would like to know if you have any credible evidence, studies that show the health effects of living near a gas compressor station?
Kind regards, Sandra Perebzak
Seattle Gas Explosion Levels 2 Buildings and Injures 9 Firefighters
Photo & Video: Damage After Seattle Explosion
An explosion shook the neighborhood of Greenwood, in the north-central part of the city, early on Wednesday. Several firefighters were injured in the blast, which was caused by a gas leak.
An explosion caused by a gas leak in Seattle on Wednesday flattened two buildings and shook a neighborhood, prompting a large response by emergency officials. At least nine firefighters were reported injured in the blast.
The explosion, reported around 1:45 a.m. Pacific time, was so loud that it could be heard as far away as Shoreline, a community about 10 miles north of downtown Seattle.
The police and firefighters descended on the scene, near the intersection of Greenwood Avenue North and 85th Avenue North, in Greenwood, a neighborhood in the north-central part of the city.
The blast shook the neighborhood, which is known for its concentration of restaurants, bars and coffee shops and has of late been home to middle-class families and upscale professionals.
According to the news website seattlepi.com, the explosion leveled two buildings, one of them a convenience store, and blew out several windows of nearby buildings.
The Fire Department said that 67 employees were sent to the scene.
The television station KING said that a natural gas leak had been reported about 40 minutes before the explosion. A reporter for another station, KOMO, said that the explosion resulted in large amounts of shattered glass.
Harold Scroggins, the Seattle fire chief, said gas was still leaking at the site Wednesday morning but there was no immediate danger to the public, according to The Seattle Times.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/us/seattle-explosion.html
See also: http://www.FrackCheckWV.net
Pipeline that supplies jet fuel to JFK ruptures in East New York
From Andrea Cavallier, WPIX News 11, March 10, 2016
EAST NEW YORK — A pipeline that supplies jet fuel to John F. Kennedy International Airport has ruptured in East New York, FDNY reports.
Firefighters are on the scene at Linden Boulevard and Junius Street where they are working to control the spray of jet fuel from the broken pipeline. The valves have been shutdown to stop the leak.
No injuries have been reported and no evacuations were made.
Linden Boulevard will remain closed at Junius Street and Heggaman Avenue.
This is a developing story, check back for updates…
http://pix11.com/2016/03/10/pipeline-carrying-jet-fuel-to-jfk-laguardia-ruptures-in-east-new-york/
>>>>> See also: http://www.FrackCheckWV.net