Proposed penalties against Avista stem from 2008 gas explosion
Washington state pipeline safety regulators recommend penalties against Avista
Corp. that could exceed $1.1 million. The proposed penalties are for actions that resulted in a
natural gas explosion and fire in December 2008 that destroyed part of an Odessa home and injured
two people.
Investigators with the Washington Utilities and Transportation
Commission’s Pipeline Safety Program concluded that the
explosion was caused by a leak from a broken natural gas pipeline that was
improperly installed. The investigators also found that Avista removed the
cracked section of pipe before commission staff completed its investigation of
the incident.
In a complaint filed today, the UTC staff
alleges
that Avista violated state rules by installing the pipe
without
adequate support and protection, and by prematurely removing the damaged
pipeline
section. The agency's staff maintains there was no reason to disturb the cracked
pipe
after the gas flow was stopped because no one in the area was receiving gas
service
from it.
The three-member commission will
consider the
pipeline safety staff’s recommendations at a hearing later this year.
In addition to penalties, the UTC
staff
recommend that commissioners order Avista to take actions
to ensure
the Spokane utility's gas pipeline system is safe and in compliance with state regulations. The staff also recommends that Odessa’s volunteer firefighters be trained on
natural
gas-related emergency procedures to help ensure safety in the event of a
gas
leak.
