Columbia Gas Cut Pressure-Monitoring Staff: Whistle Blower

ANDOVER, MA -- A former manager in the meters and regulation department of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts says his department staff was cut from four employees to one as the utility tried to trim costs. Bart Madeiros also says the company's decision not to have a technician to monitor gas pressure on jobs -- including the job federal investigators believe was at the center of the Sept. 13 gas explosions in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover -- was driven by a "lack of resources."

The allegations were disclosed in a joint statement Sunday by U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren.

"Columbia Gas prioritized savings over safety and ignored clear concerns from experienced employees, and the people of Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover paid a devastating price as a result," the senators wrote in a letter to the utility. "We are extremely concerned that Columbia Gas failed to heed warnings that Columbia Gas’ decisions to cut critical safety staff could lead to disaster."

A spokesperson for Columbia Gas was not immediately available for comment Monday morning. Separately, state lawmakers are scheduled to have their second hearing this month on gas safety and the Columbia Gas disaster on Monday.

"Somebody's Got To Cut Coners"

The department Maderios managed maintains maps of the gas pipeline system and was not consulted when engineers prepared the work plan for the job that led to the Merrimack Valley disaster, which killed an 18-year-old Lawrence man, damaged or destroyed more than 130 buildings and left thousands without heat or hot water for up to three months after the explosions.

"When you deplete the resources, somebody's got to cut corners," said Madeiros, who retired in June. In an interview with NBC 10 Boston cited by the senators, Madeiros said he worked for the company for 42 years and that had he requested more resources for Greater Lawrence "multiple times" before he retired.

A National Transportation Safety Board report said a crew replacing outdated gas mains in Lawrence on the day of the explosions did not have a technician on-site to monitor gas pressure as they worked. When a pressure sensor was left on the only line, Columbia's central control room in Columbus, Ohio, detected a sudden drop in pressure. That led to an automatic response, which led to an over-pressurization in the system serving the three communities.

"In particular, in the Lawrence location the resources were minimal," Madeiros said. "They didn't have enough resources and I couldn't provide a technician to go babysit the construction job."

In the letter, the senators demand answers whether Maderios’s concerns were acted upon or brought to the attention of company leadership, and request additional information and documentation on the current status of the meters and regulation department.

NiSource Responds To NTSB Report

Also on Monday, NiSource Inc., the parent company of Columbia Gas, released a Dec. 14 letter in which it responded to the NTSB report. In the letter, NiSource said it would hire an outside firm to help it review its engineering and construction standards. The company said it would also map the 12 of its 2,072 transmission lines that remain unmapped.

The NTSB had made several recommendations in its report, including that NiSource and Columbia Gas conduct a comprehensive risk assessment. The company said it would use the outside consultant to assist in meeting that recommendation. It also reiterated a previous promise to install valves on its transmission lines that would be better equipped to prevent a disaster in the future.

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Top: The house on Chickering Road in Lawrence where 18-year-old Leonel Rondon was killed on Sept. 13. Rondon was sitting in the car parked in the driveway when a gas explosion destroyed the house and toppled the chimney onto the car. Photo by Dave Copeland/Patch.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).