NTSB: Enbridge Pipeline Explosion Spilled 66 Million Cubic Feet of Gas
The Enbridge pipeline that exploded in Lincoln County, KY on August 1, 2019, killing one person and seriously injuring six others, spilled 66 million cubic feet of natural gas that ignited with such force that it destroyed five homes, damaged 14 others, scorched 30 acres of land and launched a 33-foot-long section of the pipeline 481 feet from the rupture site, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The explosion was the third on the pipeline operated by Enbridge Inc. of Calgary, Canada, since 2016. Construction on the Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline, which covers more than 9,000 miles on its run from Texas to Pennsylvania, began after World War II.
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) ordered Enbridge to take corrective actions by November 2019. They include:
- Shut down 19 miles of the pipeline.
- Reduce pressure by 20 percent on the remaining 756 miles of the pipeline.
- Develop and submit to PHMSA a written “restart plan.”
- Verify the records of the affected segment.
- Perform an aerial or ground instrumental leakage survey.
- Conduct a review of previous results of the affected segment.
- Conduct mechanical and metallurgical testing if NTSB does not.
- Incorporate the findings of the NTSB’s “root cause of failure analysis” into its integrity management plan.
- Review and assess its emergency response training and plan.
- Review and asses its public awareness program.
- Submit a remedial work plan within 90 days.
- Create a documentation report.
Pritzker Hageman explosion attorneys have represented clients injured in previous explosions on this pipeline. To contact our Explosion Team, use the form below or call us toll-free at 1 (888) 377-8900.
