Seven people are dead, five dozen are injured, and nine remain missing after a natural gas explosion rocked East Harlem yesterday morning. Tragically, that number will rise as the aftermath unfolds.
Yesterday's tragic explosion in New York City is a terrible reminder of just how dangerous working in and around natural gas can be, of how crucial proper safety precautions are, and how important it is to report gas leaks in a timely manner.
While the exact details of the cause of the event are not yet available, the explosion has been confirmed as caused by a gas leak. Here is what is known so far:
- Neighborhood residents smelled gas yesterday, with some reporting indicating the smell of gas for up to two weeks;
- Minutes before the explosion – a call was made from a nearby building to ConEd reporting a gas leak;
- Neighbors reported the odor of gas was far stronger than it had been yesterday, using words like “overwhelming” to describe the aroma;
- ConEd teams were literally on their way to the scene when the explosion occurred; and
- It is unclear if a building permit was pulled for any construction on-site, but it is possible that there was construction/renovation work occurring
As the former head of the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and one who helped create and implement the national 811 single-call system for assistance in locating utility lines, my sole desire is to uphold safety. While it is unclear at this time if construction activity caused the explosion, this event and another gas explosion just days ago in New Jersey reinforce the need for a top-to-bottom, comprehensive national review and upgrade of our natural gas infrastructure system.
Too often, investigations into events like yesterday's reveal the cause to be old, outdated or misplaced pipes, poor pipe locating technology and/or inaccurate system maps, or unsafe construction practices.
To prevent yesterday's scene from repeating time and time again across the country, we must embark on a national effort to improve and modernize our infrastructure, raise our safety standards, and improve our underground pipeline mapping system.
Current trends are particularly troubling. In order to combat our aging infrastructure, we must:
- Launch a capital improvement effort aimed at upgrading and modernizing infrastructure;
- Update laws and regulations to incorporate and leverage new technology; and
- Better educate the public on our underground infrastructure.
Only 66 percent of Americans are even aware they should call a free service before digging, and almost 50 percent, responding to a recent study conducted by the Common Ground Alliance, said they probably would not call 811.
By calling 811, all underground utilities will be marked in an area, generally within 48 hours. Aside from being free, the service will reduce the potential for damaging utility lines and will save lives. Even in the case of shallow excavation such as planting a tree, 811 is a necessary call.
The locating and excavating industries have not generally availed themselves of advances in technology, and that must change. Just like a bridge or a road, underground utilities are generally safe, so long as they are properly maintained and repaired. We can also dramatically improve locating and excavating practices and we can adopt and deploy sensor based early warning and monitoring sensors.
The neighbors yesterday did their job – they reported the smell of gas. Sadly, sniffing for gas should not be our primary means of detecting and identifying leaks. Now we must do our job and do everything we can to try to prevent this from ever happening again, and that requires a forward-looking proactive look at how we build, maintain and manage our underground infrastructure.
Brigham A. McCown is an attorney and public policy expert. With nearly three decades of combined public service, Mr. McCown formerly headed a federal agency and served as a key federal regulator over the energy and transportation industries. He is also a retired Naval Aviator and an avid baseball fan who calls it as he sees it, right down the middle. To learn more, visit him on National Journal, Huffington Post, and Fuel Fix or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
