Feds roll out safety regulations prompted by gas disaster

Jun 08, 2023

More than two years after the law was approved by Congress, a federal agency is moving to implement a raft of natural gas pipeline safety regulations prompted by the deadly Merrimack Valley gas disaster.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced Thursday it has begun drafting proposed regulations for the law.

The legislation is named after Leonel Rondon, a Lawrence teenager killed in the Sept. 13, 2018, gas disaster, when overpressurized natural gas lines caused explosions, fires and widespread destruction in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence.

Under the law, federal regulators are required to implement new safety measures such as increased monitoring of gas work, improved public communications, and devices that monitor gas pressure so that utility workers can quickly shut off gas flow in an emergency.

Many of those safety precautions are already required under Massachusetts’ gas safety laws, which were updated after the gas disaster. But the new federal regulations will apply nationwide to natural gas projects.

On Sept. 13, 2018, a swell of overpressurized gas through underground lines fueled fires and explosions that destroyed five homes, damaged 131 properties, injured three firefighters and 19 civilians, and forced the evacuations of 50,000 people in the Merrimack Valley.

The federal regulations will “improve public safety, while also reducing threats to the environment and promoting environmental justice for minority populations, low-income populations, or other underserved and disadvantaged communities” disproportionately affected by pollution, the agency reported.

The regulations seek to “address the root causes and aggravating factors contributing to the severity of that incident” and “help reduce the frequency and consequence of other failure mechanisms on gas distribution pipeline systems,” according to the agency.

“PHMSA expects the proposed regulatory amendments to reduce the likelihood of another overpressure incident on low-pressure gas distribution systems similar to that which occurred in Merrimack Valley.”

The bill’s main sponsor, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Malden, welcomed the long-awaited move and called it an “important first step” to implement the law.

“Gas utilities’ disregard for safety can lead to death, disaster, and months of upheaval, which families in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover experienced firsthand in 2018,” he said. “I look forward to working with PHMSA to get the strongest possible regulations for gas distribution pipeline systems on the books.”

Increased monitoring of gas work was one recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board in the aftermath of the disaster. Investigators found that the disaster was preceded by years of glaring mistakes by Columbia Gas company of Massachusetts, including shoddy record keeping.

The total cost of the disaster to Columbia Gas, its parent company, and insurers was estimated at more than $1.6 billion.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at [email protected].

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