Update August 22, 2016:

If you want to help stop these catastrophes, please comment on the PennEast DEIS and help us stop this project dead in its tracks. Visit the site below to learn how:

Link – You can help us stop the PennEast Pipeline! It’s free and easy and you can make a difference.

Also, Joy Stocke has another excellent article out about PennEast and FERC.

The Truth about Pipeline Companies and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Communities, Senators and Members of Congress Speak Out

Yesterday the Huffington Post featured a lengthy article on the PennEast pipeline by Joy E. Stock. The article is available here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wild-river-review/beleaguered-new-jersey-co_b_7984424.html

It’s an excellent read with a great deal of breadth, covering pipeline issues from justification for the pipeline, concerns of arsenic and drinking water quality, safety problems, and personal stories from people affected by the proposed route.

The photos accompanying the article were really exceptional as well. One picture in particular really caught my eye – it was this one:

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This shows a “pipeline blowout” that occurred near Appomattox, Virginia in 2008. Here’s what happened:

At 7:44 am. EDT on September 14, 2008 the Williams Transco “B” line failed. Soil and debris rocketed out of the ground and natural gas started spewing out of the ground.

Two minutes later, the pressurized gas and/or debris felled a power line, which sparked and ignited the gas.

15 minutes after the failure the nearest Compressor station was sent into emergency shutdown.

26 minutes after the failure the upstream valve was closed

36 minutes after the failure the downstream valve was closed

The fire jetted out of the pipeline for 34 minutes. It did not cease until the compressor station and both up and downstream valves were closed. Shutdown of a single valve or station was insufficient to stop it.

The fireball was reported to be 1/4 mile in height and breadth by an expert eyewitness.

Five residents were injured. Three suffered second and third degree burns. Two houses were destroyed. 95 houses were damaged.

The root cause of this accident was insufficient maintenance of cathodic protection. Williams Transco was fined nearly a million dollars because they did not maintain the system properly, and the pipeline failed due to corrosion.

Firefighters on the scene followed prescribed protocols and this helped prevent any loss of life, but the protocols could not prevent the injuries or property damage. Specifically, the protocols indicate that fire companies can do NOTHING while the pipeline has pressurized gas in it and the affected section must be isolated completely including up and downstream valves and compressor station(s) involved. In this instance it means first responders had to stand by and watch it burn for 34 minutes before the pipeline was shut down.

Only after that could they start fighting individual fires of houses and trees.

This was a 36″ pipeline….at 800 PSI. The pipeline was operating just below its maximum allowable pressure.

The PennEast Pipeline will be operating at 1480PSI.