$1 million settlement approved in 2018 pipeline failure in Beaver County
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Thursday approved a $1 million settlement related to a massive failure of the Revolution pipeline that occurred in September 2018 in Beaver County.
On Sept. 10, 2018, a pipeline failure occurred near Ivy Lane in Center Township, releasing more than 3 million cubic feet of natural gas and destroying a single-family home on the street.
No one was injured, and the home’s occupants evacuated before the subsequent fire reached their home.
During heavy rain in the wake of Tropical Storm Gordon in the fall of 2018, a landslide occurred that caused a section of the pipe to separate.
The settlement resolves an investigation conducted by the PUC’s Independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement, and comes on the heels of a review of comments from state lawmakers, advocates, local governments and others.
The settlement includes:
• A $1 million civil penalty, paid by pipeline owners Energy Transfer to the state within 30 days.
• $975,000 in additional safety measures including added pipeline start-up procedures, in-line inspections prior to the start-up date for new sections of pipeline.
• Multiple annual in-line inspections to verify the line’s integrity.
• Immediate notice to the PUC of any slope failure that could affect pipeline integrity.
• Implementation of a quality assurance program to oversee pipeline siting and construction practices.
“As the second-leading natural gas producing state in the United States, Pennsylvania depends on pipelines like Revolution to get natural gas to market,” said Pennsylvania Infrastructure Energy Alliance spokesman Kurt Knaus. “This mutually accepted and unanimously approved settlement agreement is entirely comprehensive, backed by science and engineering reviews, and absolutely necessary to ensure the safe, responsible development of our energy sector.”
In addition to the home and garage, the pipeline failure and resulting fire also destroyed several electric transmission lines and towers in the area.
The Revolution gas line runs between northern Butler County and northern Washington County. It went online just a couple weeks before the pipeline failure.
Dallas-based Energy Transfer officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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