Tag Archives: property damage

Woman identified in last week’s Ewing, NJ gas explosion that destroyed dozens of homes

March 14, 2014Explosion, New Jersey, New York, Safetyexplosion, fatality, John S. Quarterman, negligence, New Jersey, New York, property damage, Safety, SpectraBustersJohn S. Quarterman

This week, Harlem, last week, Ewing, NJ, 20 years ago, Edison, NJ: methane explosions that destroyed buildings and killed at least one person, according to investigors or local officials apparently caused by gas company. This is one downside to the fracked “natural” gas industry’s answer to cold weather in the U.S. northeast.

WPVI-TV wrote 6 March 2014, Woman killed in Ewing Twp. explosion identified as Linda Cerritelli,

It all began around 11:45 a.m. when utility company PSE&G got a call from contractor Henkels and McCoy that a worker had damaged a gas line while working on an electrical problem.

Crews were working on it about an hour later when—for reasons that are still not known—the gas line ignited.

At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Bert Steinmann said the gas line was marked out in the area where a contractor was working. Officials don’t know what went wrong.

PSE&G issued a statement saying it would not comment further until the investigation was complete.

Documents show Henkels and McCoy had been fined more than $100,000 by federal safety monitors for problems at two other New Jersey work sites. Continue reading Woman identified in last week’s Ewing, NJ gas explosion that destroyed dozens of homes →

Spectra’s Durham Woods apartment fire, Edison, NJ, 1994

February 21, 2014Economy, Explosion, Hazards, Health, Middlesex County, New Jersey, SafetyDurahm Woods, Economy, Edison, explosion, fire, Hazards, John S. Quarterman, Middlesex County, National Transportation Safety Board, New Jersey, NTSB, property damage, Safety, SpectraBusters, TETCO, Texas Eastern Transmission CorporationJohn S. Quarterman

Children running naked into the flaming night of a Spectra pipeline fireball, thousands evacuated, hundreds made homeless, some burnt or “felled by smoke”, one woman literally scared to death, all caused by corrosion in a dent Spectra knew about years before, and NTSB says it’s up to local governments to make pipeline companies prevent it happening again.

Robert D. McFadden wrote for NYTimes 25 March 1994, EXPLOSION IN EDISON: The Overview; New Jersey Pipeline Explosion Sets Off Panic, Chaos and Fear,

A natural gas pipeline explosion that awestruck witnesses compared to a blinding, scorching nuclear blast turned a neighborhood in the central New Jersey town of Edison early yesterday into a war zone of flames, panic and chaos.

Local resident jseaton uploaded to YouTube 15 May 2006, Edison Natural Gas Explosion – Durham Woods: “This is my video footage of the gas pipeline explosion in Edison NJ (March 1994). This was taken while trying to evacuate the Durham Woods apartment complex”

Back to the NYTimes story:

Scores of residents were hurt, one death was reported and Continue reading Spectra’s Durham Woods apartment fire, Edison, NJ, 1994 →

Methane pipeline blew up onto Florida Turnpike next to high school

February 11, 2014Corrosion, Economy, Explosion, Florida, Hazards, Health, Leak, Martin County, Safetycorrosion, crack, Economy, Education, emergency services, failure, Florida, Florida Turnpike, Hazards, Health, High School, I-95, injuries, integrity, John S. Quarterman, Martin County, missile, NTSB, Palm Beach County, PHMSA, property damage, rupture, Safety, SCADA, SpectraBusters, taxesJohn S. Quarterman

Five years ago a natural gas pipeline blew up between the Florida Turnpike and I-95, flying a 104-foot piece of 18-inch pipe through the air, shutting down both roads, and fortunately missing a high school. NTSB determined it was the fault of the pipeline operator, Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC (FGT).

FGT was written up by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in NTSB/PAB-13/01 of 13 August 2013 for “Damage/Clean-up Cost: $606,360” in this 4 May 2009 incident near Palm City, Florida:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was environmentally assisted cracking under a disbonded polyethylene coating that remained undetected by the integrity management program. Contributing to the accident was Florida Gas Transmission Company’s failure to include the pipe section that ruptured in the integrity management program. Contributing to the prolonged gas release was the pipeline controller’s inability to detect the rupture because of SCADA system limitations and the configuration of the pipeline.

So NTSB said it was FGT’s fault.

And Florida and Martin County taxpayers had to pay for Continue reading Methane pipeline blew up onto Florida Turnpike next to high school →

Only 50 feet? Sabal Trail in Alexander City, AL

November 18, 2013Alabama, Dougherty County, Georgia, Lowndes County, Tallapoosa CountyAlabama, Alexander City, Andrea Grover, Anniston, Dougherty County, EPA, Georgia, Lowndes County, PCB, PHMSA, property damage, Sabal Trail Transmission, Spectra Energy, SpectraBusters, Tallapoosa CountyJohn S. Quarterman

How is that “additional 50 feet of construction lane” temporary after you’ve torn down all the trees, Sabal Trail? And the route you’re showing Alexander City goes through Valdosta, while around here you’re telling us a different route. You told a Lowndes County resident you could also build feeder pipelines, yet the Alexander City story doesn’t mention anything about that. Which of your stories should we believe, Sabal Trail?

Robert Hudson wrote for alexcityOutlook.co 13 November 2013, Citizens hear about proposed gas pipeline,

The proposed corridor is 600 feet wide, but once surveys are done, that area will be decreased to some 50 feet.
“At the end of the day, should our project be approved, that comes down to only being 50 feet,” Grover said. “Then there will also be an additional 50 feet of construction lane that will be temporary so that they can build the pipeline in that easement.”

Let’s go back a month and a few hundred miles south to what Brad McEwen wrote in the Albany Herald 20 October 2013, Continue reading Only 50 feet? Sabal Trail in Alexander City, AL →