By BRETT SHIPP - WFAA-TV NEWS 8 INVESTIGATES - Nov. 2, 2007
Part V in a continuing series
WYLIE — Atmos Energy remains busy responding to concerns about the safety of its natural gas delivery system.
Customers have been flooding the Atmos call center following a News 8 investigation into potentially dangerous pipeline couplings still being used in North Texas. Now new questions are being raised about the company's safety commitment throughout its system.
Jay Marcom walks through a Wylie neighborhood with a natural gas detector—and an acute curiosity. He's seen the News 8 Investigates reports on defective couplings and wants to know how bad the leaks really are.
It didn't take him long to find one on Wednesday, apparently coming from a rusty gas meter.
A quick squirt of liquid soap on the source of the gas revealed the leak. "You can see the bubbles right here," Marcom said. "It tells me that piece of riser is leaking, right there where it hits that valve."
Just moments after alerting authorities, firefighters arrived with their own detection gear, confirming Marcom's discovery.
It's not really a surprise, considering all of the yellow Atmos "activity flags" littering the neighborhood that's just half a block away from where Benny and Martha Cryer died in a natural gas explosion one year ago.
Following that fatal blast, Atmos discovered 24 active leaks within just a few blocks.
Atmos repair crews responded to Marcom's leak report on Wednesday afternoon, but Wylie fire investigators were back on Thursday after Marcom discovered that the leaking pipe had simply been painted over.
Repairs were finally made after a second visit by Atmos workers.
Neighbor Coral Watkins said the gas company continues to repair leaks, while insisting that the area is safe. "Smelled gas the other day, called them out, they told me there was nothing out here," she said. "Then the other day, we caught them out here; they were fixing a neighbor's leak right behind my house."
Cindy Graham of Richardson feels the same way. She says she reported a neighborhood gas leak to Atmos last June. "They said they would do something. Nothing ever happened," Graham said.
Atmos took action only after News 8 reported Graham's story last week. The company told her the leak should have immediately been placed on a repair list.
Atmos says it has responded in person to more than 1,500 concerned customers following our reports. The company maintains that its gas delivery system is safe and reliable for all customers.
At the same time, however, Atmos boasts to potential investors that it has the "lowest utility operation and maintenance expenses per customer among its peers." Atmos spends $112 per customer; competitors spend $218 per customer.
A desire to keep maintenance costs low might explain why Atmos lets an estimated 100,000 potentially deadly pipeline couplings to remain in the constantly shifting North Texas soil. Replacing them could cost tens of millions of dollars.
Two times in the past week, News 8 has responded to natural gas leaks faster than Atmos repair crews.
State Rep. Jody Laubenberg (R-Murphy), whose district includes the Wylie neighborhood where the Cryers died, believes it's time for Atmos to put safety first. "We've already had, what? Eight, nine deaths, already? We know ground is going to shift, we know things are going to happen, let's not wait for more deaths," she said.
Read more on WFAA
Showing posts with label pipelines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pipelines. Show all posts
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Residents oppose UTA gas drilling
By JOHN AUSTIN - Star-Telegram staff writer - Sat, Jun. 16, 2007
Drilling dispute ARLINGTON -- Everybody in North Texas, it seems, wants a piece of the region's red-hot gas-well action these days.
Everybody, that is, but Linda Yarbrough and her neighbors near the University of Texas at Arlington's Maverick Stadium on the west side of campus.
UT-Arlington officials signed a deal this spring to allow on-campus drilling. Seismic work has been delayed by heavy spring rains, but should begin this month according to John Hall, UT-Arlington's vice president for finance and administration.
Drilling sites have not been announced. Up to five potential drilling sites have been identified, but there has been no decision about how many wells will be drilled, Hall said.
University officials' plans to discuss the deal with residents near campus don't make Yarbrough feel any better.
Yarbrough moved to 1300 W. Second St. 14 years ago. Her neighborhood, Vellenga Acres, includes about 80 houses on large, heavily wooded lots.
"It would ordinarily be an ideal neighborhood," Yarbrough said, adding that she doesn't want to be anywhere near a gas well.
What's new?
City and university officials met last week to discuss the planned gas well. Yarbrough estimated that about 100 residents attended.
City Councilwoman Lana Wolff said a public meeting with residents is expected in early August, after Carrizo Oil conducts seismological studies and decides on well locations, pipelines and truck routes.
The university has posted questions and answers about the deal under the "Official Statements" section of its Web site, www.uta.edu.
The posting states that the final site "will also be chosen to minimize the level of peripheral noise to campus and community residents."
As a state university, UT-Arlington is not subject to city ordinances stipulating the distance or buffers between a rig and residences. But on its Web site, the university said its practice is to "meet or exceed all relevant city ordinances." Drilling is expected to last 30 to 45 days, according to the site, and after that time "there is virtually no noise or risk."
What's next?
Yarbrough plans to be at Tuesday's City Council meeting, along with neighbors, to underscore what they believe to be potential problems. On Friday, she sent a letter to Mayor Robert Cluck and City Council members calling for strengthened urban gas-drilling rules.
Among her recommendations:
Restrictions on hours of operation
1000-foot proximity limits between property lines and drilling sites
Mandatory, 24-hour on-site security
Online: www.uta.edu
See Map in Star Telegram
Drilling dispute ARLINGTON -- Everybody in North Texas, it seems, wants a piece of the region's red-hot gas-well action these days.
Everybody, that is, but Linda Yarbrough and her neighbors near the University of Texas at Arlington's Maverick Stadium on the west side of campus.
UT-Arlington officials signed a deal this spring to allow on-campus drilling. Seismic work has been delayed by heavy spring rains, but should begin this month according to John Hall, UT-Arlington's vice president for finance and administration.
Drilling sites have not been announced. Up to five potential drilling sites have been identified, but there has been no decision about how many wells will be drilled, Hall said.
University officials' plans to discuss the deal with residents near campus don't make Yarbrough feel any better.
Yarbrough moved to 1300 W. Second St. 14 years ago. Her neighborhood, Vellenga Acres, includes about 80 houses on large, heavily wooded lots.
"It would ordinarily be an ideal neighborhood," Yarbrough said, adding that she doesn't want to be anywhere near a gas well.
What's new?
City and university officials met last week to discuss the planned gas well. Yarbrough estimated that about 100 residents attended.
City Councilwoman Lana Wolff said a public meeting with residents is expected in early August, after Carrizo Oil conducts seismological studies and decides on well locations, pipelines and truck routes.
The university has posted questions and answers about the deal under the "Official Statements" section of its Web site, www.uta.edu.
The posting states that the final site "will also be chosen to minimize the level of peripheral noise to campus and community residents."
As a state university, UT-Arlington is not subject to city ordinances stipulating the distance or buffers between a rig and residences. But on its Web site, the university said its practice is to "meet or exceed all relevant city ordinances." Drilling is expected to last 30 to 45 days, according to the site, and after that time "there is virtually no noise or risk."
What's next?
Yarbrough plans to be at Tuesday's City Council meeting, along with neighbors, to underscore what they believe to be potential problems. On Friday, she sent a letter to Mayor Robert Cluck and City Council members calling for strengthened urban gas-drilling rules.
Among her recommendations:
Restrictions on hours of operation
1000-foot proximity limits between property lines and drilling sites
Mandatory, 24-hour on-site security
Online: www.uta.edu
See Map in Star Telegram
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Local Leaders Criticize State Clean-Air Effort
By Scott Streater, Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Thursday, 7 June 2007
Local leaders are becoming frustrated with the ongoing efforts to devise a plan to clean up ozone in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The state approved a clean-air plan last month, but federal regulators say it is flawed and may not do enough to cut pollution and bring the region into compliance with ground-level ozone standards by a 2010 deadline.
Failure to meet that deadline would subject the nine-county region to severe federal sanctions that limit economic development.
The state's plan has been roundly criticized by local leaders for not doing enough to crack down on the cement kilns in Ellis County or on the tons of pollution emitted from the millions of cars and trucks that pass through the Metroplex each day.
Local leaders want to be involved in deciding what revisions are made to the plan.
"Right now we're outside the loop," Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said. "In serious public health issues like air quality we should all be rowing in the same direction, but somebody dropped an oar."
The issue
Richard Greene, the Environmental Protection Agency's regional administrator in Dallas, has warned that the State Implementation Plan -- which outlines exact steps the region will take to meet federal ozone standards -- is flawed and may not be approved by the EPA.
Among the problems: The state appears to have seriously underestimated the amount of pollution emitted by small compressor engines that power natural gas rigs and transmission pipelines in the region.
State regulators say the plan is fine, but they have indicated that they will make revisions to the plan where needed.
Why it's important
Ozone is a health concern. Ozone concentrations above federal health-based standards can trigger asthma attacks and worsen the conditions of those suffering from emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments.
The nine-county region -- Tarrant, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker and Rockwall counties -- faces severe federal sanctions if it fails to complete a federally approved clean-air plan, including the possible loss of tens of millions of dollars in highway funding.
What's next
The EPA will meet again with state environmental regulators, perhaps as early as this month, to try and resolve concerns that the clean-air plan won't work.
Read more
Local leaders are becoming frustrated with the ongoing efforts to devise a plan to clean up ozone in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The state approved a clean-air plan last month, but federal regulators say it is flawed and may not do enough to cut pollution and bring the region into compliance with ground-level ozone standards by a 2010 deadline.
Failure to meet that deadline would subject the nine-county region to severe federal sanctions that limit economic development.
The state's plan has been roundly criticized by local leaders for not doing enough to crack down on the cement kilns in Ellis County or on the tons of pollution emitted from the millions of cars and trucks that pass through the Metroplex each day.
Local leaders want to be involved in deciding what revisions are made to the plan.
"Right now we're outside the loop," Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said. "In serious public health issues like air quality we should all be rowing in the same direction, but somebody dropped an oar."
The issue
Richard Greene, the Environmental Protection Agency's regional administrator in Dallas, has warned that the State Implementation Plan -- which outlines exact steps the region will take to meet federal ozone standards -- is flawed and may not be approved by the EPA.
Among the problems: The state appears to have seriously underestimated the amount of pollution emitted by small compressor engines that power natural gas rigs and transmission pipelines in the region.
State regulators say the plan is fine, but they have indicated that they will make revisions to the plan where needed.
Why it's important
Ozone is a health concern. Ozone concentrations above federal health-based standards can trigger asthma attacks and worsen the conditions of those suffering from emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments.
The nine-county region -- Tarrant, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker and Rockwall counties -- faces severe federal sanctions if it fails to complete a federally approved clean-air plan, including the possible loss of tens of millions of dollars in highway funding.
What's next
The EPA will meet again with state environmental regulators, perhaps as early as this month, to try and resolve concerns that the clean-air plan won't work.
Read more
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