California Utility Reports Progress on Safety Recommendations

More than two years after a gas pipeline explosion killed eight people in a San Francisco suburb, a California utility says it has finished implementing seven of federal investigators’ 12 recommendations to fix its network.

A Pacific Gas & Electric Co. executive announced Tuesday that the company can now assure federal regulators that the communities PG&E serves are aware of crucial gas safety information.

Speaking at an industry conference in Texas, Executive Vice President of Gas Operations Nick Stavropoulos said PG&E has also finished implementing an urgent recommendation to validate that all gas transmission lines running through urban areas have been checked for safe operating pressures. The company, additionally, has updated its contingency plans for work on its transmission system.

The Sept. 9 blast sparked a fireball that engulfed a San Bruno neighborhood and destroyed dozens of homes.