Regulators Order Corrective Action After Pipeline Explosion in Danville, KY
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has ordered Enbridge to take corrective actions after a pipeline it operates exploded near Danville, KY on August 1, killing one person and seriously injuring five others. The explosion, the third on this pipeline since 2016, is the latest in a series of tragic episodes in the troubled history of the pipeline.
The Explosion
Operated by Enbridge Inc. of Calgary, Canada, the Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline covers more than 9,000 miles on its run from the Mexican border to New York City. The affected piece is a 775-mile segment of a 30-inch diameter bi-directional pipeline between Mississippi and Pennsylvania built in 1942.
In the early morning hours of August 1, 2019, the 77-year-old pipeline ruptured near Danville, KY and an explosion engulfed six buildings in flames as it shot a fireball into the sky that was so massive it was picked up on Louisville weather radar.
Killed in the blast was Lisa Denise Derringer, 58, from Stanford. Five other people were seriously injured.
The explosion comes just months after another section of the pipeline ruptured in Noble County, Ohio injuring two people. Like the Danville blast, the tower of flames could be seen for miles. And in 2016, an explosion near Salem Township, Pennsylvania left one victim severely injured. Federal authorities determined corrosion to be the cause of that blast.
Explosion Attorney Eric Hageman
Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman, the lead attorneys on our explosion legal team, have represented clients injured in the Texas Eastern Pipeline. “Far too often we have seen pipeline companies disregard safety concerns in favor of expediency. The result is that many of our gas pipelines are ticking time bombs,” Hageman said. to contact our explosion team, use the form below or call us toll-free at 1 (888) 377-8900.
The Corrective Actions Ordered
The PHMSA has ordered Enbridge to:
- 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.
Enbridge has 90 days to comply with actions ordered by the PHMSA.
