PIPE Act Introduced On 5th Anniversary Of Merrimack Valley Explosions

ANDOVER, MA — Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) has announced proposed legislation to help prevent future disasters similar to the Merrimack Valley gas explosions. The pipeline accident occurred Sept. 13, 2018 and resulted in the death of 18-year-old Leonel Rondon and dozens of injuries.

The explosion also damaged or destroyed more than 130 buildings in Andover, North Andover, and Lawrence. It also left thousands of homes without natural gas service for months.

A National Transportation Safety Board official said in a 2019 report that the accident was preventable. An NTSB three-member board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution placing the likely cause of the gas explosions on Columbia's Gas's failure to have a mitigation plan in place.

Markey is the chair of a Senate subcommittee and introduced the Penalizing and Improving Prevention of Emergencies (PIPE) Act earlier this week.

“It’s been five years since the Columbia Gas explosions devastated the communities of Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover. The Merrimack Valley is still healing. The family of Leonel Rondon is still grieving,” Markey said in a statement. “We must continue making progress by delivering stronger protections and allowing our federal regulators to make swift, effective safety standards."

The law intends to close a loophole that restricts U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) from applying updated regulations to existing pipelines. It also would empower PHMSA to deliver greater civil penalties and hold bad actors criminally liable for violating rules and prohibit the release of gas or hazardous liquid from any pipeline.

Last year the Leonel Rondon Pipeline Safety Act became law and strengthened emergency response and safety standards for natural gas distribution pipelines, according to Markey's statement.

Full text of the PIPE Act is available here.

See related: Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions Were Preventable: Official