PG&E had received OK to repair pipeline near San Bruno, but work was never done

State regulators in 2007 gave Pacific Gas and Electric Co. the go-ahead to spend $5 million of ratepayer money to replace a 62-year-old section of the same pipeline that exploded last week in San Bruno. But the work never got done as scheduled in 2009, and this year the utility asked for another $5 million to do the same job by 2013, according to documents submitted by PG&E to the California Public Utility Commission as part of a general rate-hike request.

While the cause of the pipeline explosion has yet to be determined, experts say that in general older lines are more prone to problems.

“There’s no excuse for deferring maintenance of potentially compromised pipelines that run under customers’ homes, businesses and schools,” said Mark Toney, executive director of the Utility Reform Network. The San Francisco ratepayer’s group, known as TURN, monitors electric and gas company regulatory activity.

In the shadows of the San Bruno explosion last week, yesterday, in a small town less than 100 miles to the east, Newman, CA, construction crews severed a PG&E gas line in the middle of town.

Evacuations were placed in effect, and PG&E made the repairs 2 hours later. Meanwhile, Highway 33 through Newman was re-routed along with other local traffic.

On a semi-related note, back in the early to mid 80’s I worked on a 42” gas line which originated in Canada and traversed through Eastern Washington, Oregon and No California. This was a project of PGT (Pacific Gas Transmission), a subsidiary of of PG&E at the time.

Quality Control on that project I worked on in E WA was top-notch. We could not leave any rod butts (welding rod stubs) in the ditch. No foreign metal allowed in the ditch because with the high pressure gas passing through the line, would create a magnetic effect, drawing any foreign steel to the pipe which over time would eventually penetrate through the outer protective coating on the pipe and could subsequently create a rust-through over time of the steel pipe. The wall thickness of that 42” pipe was around 3/4” if I remember correctly.

I don’t know how it is where you live but in terms of “natural monopolies”, around here water and sewage are “publicly owned utilities”. Garbage is collected by whichever company paid the biggest bribe to the city’s politicians for the term of the contract. They then pay off the politicians in another municipality to allow them to dump our trash there.

Natural gas and electric service come to us via PG&E.

Describing PG&E as a private business, as though they were a corner gas station, is a little like describing the BATFE as the Mayberry PD. PG&E is a larger, more corrupt institution than most local (and many state) governments. They have no competition.

PG&E needs a foil, the threat of some kind of competition to keep them in check and local government is the only potential competition for them out there.

This phrase jumps out at me:
to replace a 62-year-old section of the same pipeline

How far away from the blast site was the part they were going to repair? The exact same place? Miles away? Was the newer request for the exact same feet of pipe, or another "section" of the same stretch of pipe, maybe miles away from the first?

That phrase makes it look like a political ad.

You don’t want to be able to vote before your local politicians socialize the energy system? Why not?

A few reasons...first, I elect/pay my representative to do that for me...we vote on FAR too many Props in this state (CA). Next, PG&E is already (in your terminology) a "socialized" monopoly...one that is doing a very bad job since their bankruptcy caused by government interference in the form of AB1890. They are jacking up rates while spending millions and billions on "green" power crud, and not building any new infrastructure or nuclear. Small power districts (like http://www.mid.org/) are selling power cheaper and doing a better job without all the Manmade Global Warming BS. So I am in favor of MORE localized power districts (private or public) w/o PG&E trying to make it harder on them. And lastly, I am just not a fan of PG&E right now (since the bankruptcy...was a fan earlier in my life...60's, 70's). I am on my 2nd "Smart Meter" (1st one failed in under a year), and I am tired of their hassle and sky-high rates. So anything that gives them less control I am for!

So I take it you’re not a big fan of Prop 13? Your paid representatives figured out how much property tax you should pay.

I think politicians should have to get approval from the affected residents before they can pull a Hugo Chavez on the power company.

MID is an exception. Most cities are not going to get a system like that. The places that are pushing to take over power districts are almost always the most liberal - SF, Marin County and the like. They’re going to give you smart meters, energy rationing, and “green” power up the wazoo.

I didn’t say no Props...just a lot less...I can count the useful ones over the last 30 years on 2 hands...Prop 13 being one of them. Like a previous poster said...PG&E isn’t the “Free Market” at work...it is highly regulated by the CPUC, as any new utility districts would be also...we KNOW PG&E is infested with eco-nuts, any new utility districts might be better...let the market decide. The central valley (FResno) is courting a company interested in a small nuke plant...would be much harder to pull off with a 2/3rds vote requirement. PG&E tried an anti-competitive move and lost...too bad...so sad.

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