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Congress Calls for June 10th to be Named National Pipeline Safety Day
Largely due to the efforts of Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA), the House of Representatives has voted to designate June 10th National Pipeline Safety Day. Larsen proposed that this day fall on the anniversary of a tragic natural gas explosion in his district of Bellingham, Washington that killed three people on June 10, 1999. His remarks commemorating the incident can be found here.
Before making its way to the House floor, the resolution was shepherded by Larsen through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, calling for an increased awareness of the nation’s underground pipeline infrastructure and increased safety measures to ensure that pipelines remain the safest form of transportation of energy products.
Most people have no clue about the magnitude of our country’s pipeline system. For instance, did you know that there are there are 2.3 million miles of distribution and service pipeline in the United States? That’s enough pipe to wrap around the earth 92 times!
While these millions of miles of pipeline are housed underground and out of sight, they should not be out of our minds, which is precisely why we are encouraging state and local governments to not only observe National Pipeline Safety Day but to renew their commitment to safety and the prevention of excavation damage.
In April, we teamed with the Common Ground Alliance to establish National Safe Digging Month, which urges those embarking on any digging or excavation project to place a free phone call to 811 beforehand in order to make sure the area is secure for digging.
Please spread the word about National Pipeline Safety Day and don’t forget to call 811 before you dig this summer.
Safety first
I don’t think there is anything more important to our members than safety. On virtually every survey we run where safety is an option, it floats to the top in terms of importance. They spend billions of dollars every year to maintain the system’s excellent safety record.
This is a good thing.
Last month, we blogged about Call before you Dig month. The call before you dig program is important. Many people call it the most important part of the safety program for most natural gas utilities because nearly 60 percent of the incidents on utility distribution pipelines are due to excavation damage.
Of course there are many other tools that natural gas utilites use to help keep us safe. The other day I came across this chart from We Energies that contains general guidelines to maintain safe clearance distances between structure and landscaping projects. The best part about the chart in my opinion? The first thing it does is remind you to call before you dig.
Leave a comment if you’ve found a tool that people can use.
AGA Members Recognized for Safety Excellence
Today, at AGA’s 2009 Operations Conference and Biennial Exhibit in Pittsburgh, a staggering 17 companies were honored for their outstanding safety records last year.
Twelve Safety Achievement Awards were given to companies that achieved the lowest “DART” incident rate – a mathematical calculation that describes the number of recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time employees that resulted in days away from work or restricted work activity.
Additionally, five companies earned Vehicle Safety Achievement Awards by experiencing the lowest motor vehicle accident rate for companies of their type.
Kudos to these companies for going the extra mile to ensure that their employees and their customers remain safe.
Safety Achievement Award winners include, by category:
Local Distribution Utilities
Mega: Enbridge Gas Distribution (North York, Ontario)
Very Large: Dominion East Ohio Gas Co. (Cleveland, OH)
Large: Citizens Energy Group (Indianapolis, IN)
Comgas (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Medium-Large: Dominion Hope (Clarksburg, WV)
Medium-Small: Equitable Gas Company (Pittsburgh, PA)
Small: Columbia Gas of Maryland (Cumberland, MD)
Combination Utilities
Large: PECO Energy (Philadelphia, PA)
Medium: Central Hudson Gas & Electric (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Montana-Dakota Utilities (Bismarck, ND)
Transmission Companies
Large: Tennessee Gas Pipeline (Houston, TX)
Medium: Eastern Shore Natural Gas (Dover, DE)
Vehicle Safety Achievement Award winners include, by category:
Local Distribution Utilities
UGI Central Penn Gas (Reading, PA)
Combination Utilities
Consumers Energy (Jackson, MI)
Transmission Utilities
CenterPoint Energy Pipelines (Houston, TX)
Small Member Companies
Crossroads Pipeline (Bremen, IN)
Northern Indiana Fuel & Light (Auburn, IN)
True Blue Natural Gas Blog from the American Gas Association (AGA)- Diversification of natural gas supply is an essential consumer protection
- From Austin to Boston in a natural gas vehicle
- Natural gas, how about zero carbon emissions
- The real natural gas message in a climate crunch
- Let’s work together to protect our seniors
- Natural Gas Market Indicators
- Coming Down To Earth on a ‘Clean Energy’ Standard?
- The convenience of the natural gas fireplace
- Coming Down To Earth, A Winning Strategy For Renewables
- Energy Secretary Chu Identifies Natural Gas as Key to a Low-Carbon Future
