The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has issued a Corrective Action Order in connection with the Dec. 11 natural gas pipeline explosion in Kanawha County.
The order, signed Thursday, spells out what Columbia Gas Transmission must do before it can begin operating the 20-inch line that exploded near Sissonville.
Quoting from the order handed down by PHMSA:
“The order finds that the operation of the pipeline without corrective action is hazardous to life, property, or the environment and requires the Respondent to take immediate action to ensure the safe operation of the pipeline.”
The order spells out a four phase process that Columbia must follow before restoring full pressure to the pipeline. The company must create a plan, make repairs to the line and agree to a lower amount of pressure on the line after the repairs are made.
Another phase of the order calls for a total review of the records on the pipeline and excavation to determine the condition of the rest of the line.
Columbia must document its work and file a number of reports before full pressure on the line is authorized.
An investigative team with the National Transportation Safety Board is continuing its probe into what caused the explosion that created two large plumes of fire, destroyed four residences and burned a section of Interstate 77.
The corrective order from PHMSA cites previously released information from the NTSB concerning a general wall thinning of the line as a “major factor in the cause of the failure.”
The preliminary findings also said the failure was consistent with external corrosion of the line.
PHMSA’s order also says the pipeline in question was installed in 1967.