Gas Safety Bill Gains Momentum in Massachusetts
The state of Massachusetts is pushing a gas safety bill to help reduce the probability of another natural gas disaster like the Sept. 2018 Columbia Gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley, which caused fatalities and forced over 50,000 residents to evacuate their homes. This seems like a necessary course of action, because certain parts of the gas distribution system are old and leak-prone, causing many local residents to live in fear of another gas emergency occurring.
Background of the Pending Gas Safety Bill
One reason it has taken so long for lawmakers to introduce a gas safety bill is because the state first wanted to conduct an assessment of the gas distribution system’s condition. The company that was hired to conduct this assessment – Dynamic Risk Assessment Systems Inc. – noted that while the system is mostly reliable, there are portions of the system that are prone to leaks due to age and pipe materials.
In response to the assessment, a series of bills were proposed, the most promising of which would levy fines for slow emergency response, require faster leak repairs, and encourage better communication as it relates to local gas utilities working with local government agencies during emergency situations. Other provisions would make the use of mutual assistance required instead of optional, and would require gas utilities to improve their emergency plans and protocols.
It remains unclear when a consensus version of a gas safety bill will pass, but rest assured it will eventually happen. The 2018 Columbia Gas disaster is something that no one wants to see repeated. That said, it will take lawmakers some time to come to agreement on the specifics of the bill, and obtain the votes necessary to pass it. Hopefully this will happen over the next several months, and I for one, will be watching closely.
