Gas pipelines explode. How far away is enough to survive?

Gas pipelines explode. How far away is enough to survive?

By Mike Soraghan, E&E News (Jan. 24, 2023)

Bill Caram, executive director of the advocacy group Pipeline Safety Trust, said the NTSB’s recommendation is a chance to do more than tinker with the formula. Regulators should look at the land planning around the impact zone, he said, including whether to prohibit pipelines near buildings and even ban building near existing pipelines. That, he acknowledged, might be beyond PHMSA’s jurisdiction.

“Improving the formula probably wouldn’t have a large impact on pipeline safety,” Caram said. “It’s time to revisit these old assumptions.”