Utility pays $200K for Pennsylvania pipeline blast
13 May 2013
The Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era reports that utility UGI has agreed to pay a $200,000 civil penalty to the state Public Utility Commission for a central Pennsylvania explosion caused when a contractor hit one of its underground natural gas lines, which was not properly marked.
UGI does not acknowledge violating any state or federal laws, but will change some procedures to prevent blasts similar to the October 2011 explosion in Millersville. That blast caused $450,000 damage to a two-story building.
The PUC imposed the penalty because the agency claims UGI mislabeled the location of the pipe by about 40 inches - which is more than the 18 inches allowed by law. The PUC found the mistake contributed to the contractor hitting the line.
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