Columbia Gas Pleads Guilty To Federal Pipeline Safety Charge

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — Columbia Gas plead guilty Monday to violating the federal pipeline safety act in relation to the Sept. 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, prosecutors announced Monday. The company will be sentenced April 6. The guilty plea follows a deal with federal prosecutors announced last month.

According to the deal, Columbia Gas's parent company NiSource will pay a $53 million fine, sell Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and cease operations in the state. Any profits from the sale will be paid to the U.S. government, and until the sale is complete, an independent monitor will observe the company's activities and report to the federal government on a monthly basis.

The Sept. 13, 2018 accident ultimately killed one, injured 22, and damaged 131 structures in Andover, Lawrence and North Andover, as well as leaving many residents unable to return to their homes for months. The National Transportation Safety Board's final report on the accident, released in October, found that "weak engineering management" by Columbia Gas was responsible for the deadly explosions. The company also faces investigations at the state level.

Shortly after the plea deal was announced, NiSource said it planned to sell Columbia Gas to Eversource for $1.1 billion.

NiSource will be bound by a deferred prosecution agreement to implement the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendations in the wake of the accident at their other subsidiaries around the country.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.