As reported in the Post-Gazette, there’s been yet another gas pipeline explosion (Sept. 11, “Landslide May Have Triggered Blast”). A house was completely demolished, and the residents narrowly escaped. The explosion took place at about 5 a.m. Monday, and it must have been a horrifying experience.
For some reason, we go on tolerating this risk, and as a result of our tolerance, gas pipelines continue to explode. The pipeline companies believe that they can keep building pipelines and that after deploring yet another explosion, we’ll just turn the page of the newspaper and go on to the next story.
Local elected officials and regulators make a few confusing statements and expect us to forget the whole thing by the next election. Pennsylvania’s governor and senators continue to boost the natural gas build-out, explosion after explosion. If you ask “who is responsible for keeping the public safe from gas pipeline explosions?” the answer will be complicated and inconclusive.
Pipelines carry gas products between frack fields, compressor stations, cryogenic facilities, plastic factories and shipping hubs. None of these companies is concerned with providing gas to heat our homes: They’re after the much more lucrative international plastic markets.
Some believe that we need the oil and gas industry because it provides jobs, but the truth is that renewable energy is a much surer way to economic health and does not soak up public tax-break dollars like heavily subsidized oil and gas.
Elections are coming up: Let’s vote for safety and prosperity.
NORA JOHNSON
Squirrel Hill
First Published: September 12, 2018, 4:00 a.m.
