SISSONVILLE, W.Va. — The 20-inch natural gas pipeline that exploded in December, destroying five homes and scorching a section of Interstate 77, has been repaired and is ready to be re-energized.
“They are taking steps right now to get to a position to recharge it,” state Public Service Commission Chairman Mike Albert said Monday. “There’s been a lot of examination on whether it’s the right thing to do and we are comfortable it is.”
Albert said recharging that line, owned by Columbia Gas Transmission, could happen this week. Albert’s comments came right after Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed the pipeline safety bill into law Monday morning. It took place at the Sissonville Volunteer Fire Department just a couple miles from the blast site.
“(The law) puts more pressure on the natural gas companies, the pipeline companies, to make sure that their lines are inspected, that they comply with both federal and state law in order, to hopefully, prevent another explosion,” Tomblin said.
The law also ups the penalty for those companies who don’t properly inspect their lines.
“It takes each violation from a maximum of $1,000-per-occurrence to $200,000, which is a steep fine,” concedes Tomblin. “But we want to make sure that’s an incentive for the company to make sure they self-inspect and they do it properly.”
Those fines will be used to pay for more PSC pipeline inspectors. Currently there are only five who cover the entire state. Tomblin said that’s not enough manpower when West Virginia is crisscrossed by tens of thousands of miles of pipelines.
Dave Hippchen, the manager of gas pipeline safety for the state PSC, said the Sissonville line will not be re-charged until the federal government lets the PSC know and the company gets the green light.
“We don’t have the go-ahead just yet from the PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration) Eastern Region. But they will give the approval and then the 9start-up) sequence kicks in to where they will give us 12 hours notification as to a restart,” Hippchen said.
The pipeline that exploded has been replaced and the line thoroughly inspected to make sure it meets state and federal standards.
No one was seriously injured in the December blast.