NTSB Makes 'Urgent' Gas Safety Recommendations To Columbia Gas Parent Company

Source: WBUR News

As federal investigators continue their probe into the Sept. 13 Merrimack Valley gas disaster, the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday issued a series of safety recommendations it classified as "urgent."

The NTSB released a report with four recommendations for NiSource, the parent company of Columbia Gas, and one for the state, seeking elimination of the professional engineer licensure exemption for public utility work and a requirement for a professional engineer's seal on public utility engineering drawings.

The report recommends NiSource do the following:

-revise the engineering plan and constructability review process across all subsidiaries
-review all records and documentation of natural gas systems,
-apply management of change processes to all changes to identify threats that could result in a common mode failure
-develop and implement control procedures during gas main modifications to mitigate risks

In a statement, Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren called on NiSource to implement the recommendations immediately.

Read more: http://www.wbur.org/news/2018/11/15/ntsb-safety-recommendations-columbia-gas-nisource