On September 9, in the Crestmoor neighborhood of San Bruno, California, a gas pipeline exploded under a busy intersection in the San Francisco suburb. The explosion destroyed 37 homes and rendered 18 more uninhabitable. Eight people died as a result of the blast.
San Bruno Blast is Impetus for Arizona's Investigation Into Pipeline Safety
The tragic events in San Bruno have prompted the Arizona Corporation Commission (AZCC) to look into gas pipeline safety risks in Arizona. Gas pipelines criss-cross the state and provide natural gas to Arizona and its neighbors. Since pipelines inevitably cross through populated areas, the AZCC is concerned that if risks are not identified, an explosion similar to San Bruno may occur. Such an explosion would affect not only homeowners and residents, but pipeline workers and emergency response teams. Also, because of Arizona's arid climate, the state stands an even greater chance of a severe fire outbreak following a gas pipeline explosion.
The commissioner of the AZCC, Sandra Kennedy, has requested that Arizona pipeline operators provide her agency with a list ranking their riskiest pipelines. Some gas pipeline companies, including the largest operator, El Paso Natural Gas, have already compiled these lists. El Paso Natural Gas used data on pipe corrosion, weather, and the risk of someone puncturing a gas line during construction to rank its pipelines. UniSource, another pipeline company, is ready to provide a list, but has requested confidentiality due to infrastructure concerns.
Southwest Gas Corporation, however, has so far been reluctant to comply with Commissioner Kennedy's request. Southwest Vice President Jim Wunderlin claims that providing the AZCC with a list of riskiest pipelines "would take a new level of analysis" to which the company may be reluctant to devote resources. The company also points out that it does not operate a 30-inch pipeline like the one involved with the San Bruno accident.
Although most companies are complying with the commissioner's request, most claim that they cannot make changes to their safety protocols until the investigation of the San Bruno accident is complete and the cause of incident is identified. Investigators are still working to pinpoint the cause of the San Bruno tragedy.
