Post on 28-Dec-2015
Anthony Moscarelli
Homeowner with three pipelines near house
Worry: Un-explained Mercaptan smell in deep soil.
• Project Coordinator for Healthy Community Research for Suisun City. Obtained PHMSA TAG grant in 2009
• Conducted a technical baseline study of aging pipelines in the Suisun City pipeline corridor.
Natural gas pipeline route in Suisun corridor
1983 Natural Gas pipelinesreplaced here to here
New gas valves2009 Old gas valves
removed 2010
1949 Natural Gas pipeline1965 Natural Gas Pipeline
Pacific Gas and Electric’s Role
• PG&E eventually agreed to cooperate with study
• Provided contact with company attorney
• These were encouraging early signs!
• But then…
Study leads to more unanswered questions
• The study of our small area ( 3.5 miles ) raised more questions from unfulfilled work records requests.
• By May 2011 , CPUC informed me that PG&E had refused to provide records I requested.
• In July 2011 my contact reiterated PG&E’s top management’s committed cooperation with the study.
Bureaucratic Gridlock
• One year later, PG&E’s attorney was not aware that hydro-testing was scheduled on one of our pipelines although the pipeline was ‘Pigged’ 30-days earlier.
• PG&E contractors knew of the study/me and how to contact my contact.
• A second hydro-test that I witnessed through the first hours, was later suspended after I left.
• A recently installed (2009) valve was found to leak, and was repaired. I was notified 6 days later after repairs were complete.
Hydro-test leak was reported at the 2009 installed Pig passable valve @ 67% of MAOP
Ongoing Bureaucratic Gridlock
• If CPUC staff had informed me of specific code requirements for my requests, I could have used the CPUC process for requesting records properly.
• PG&E’s attorney told me that they did not refuse to have information from the CPUC released to me.
• CPUC’s attorney told me that PG&E did, but could not share the letter.