Officials Say Proposed Rules for Gas Leaks Are Too Lax
Proposed regulations that would allow Consolidated Edison's gas and steam systems to have a backlog of up to 100 unrepaired — and potentially lethal — gas leaks at the end of each year have drawn outrage from some officials, who say the rules do not go far enough in forcing Con Ed and other utilities to stop the leaks from occurring.
Proposed regulations that would allow Consolidated Edison's gas and steam systems to have a backlog of up to 100 unrepaired — and potentially lethal — gas leaks at the end of each year have drawn outrage from some officials, who say the rules do not go far enough in forcing Con Ed and other utilities to stop the leaks from occurring. The regulations come after a study in July revealed that Con Ed had 6,412 gas leaks in 2003, of which 2,251 were considered serious.
According to the proposed rules, Con Ed would be allowed to end each year with a backlog of 1,800 total gas leaks, including 100 of the most dangerous types. The rules would not impose a limit on the number of leaks Con Ed can have in a single year.
In terms of reporting requirements, the proposed rules also require the utility only to tell regulators how fast it responds to gas leaks and how many leaks it leaves without repairs at year's end.
They do not require the utility to report on the resources and personnel allocated to repairing gas leaks.
The rules are part of the new rate structure that the Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities in New York, is considering for Con Ed's gas and steam services. They would not apply to other utilities in the state like KeySpan Energy Corporation. If approved, the rules would take effect Oct. 4.
The new rules are slightly stricter than current ones. At present, Con Ed is allowed year-end backlogs of up to 140 of the more hazardous leaks. The utility also faces fines if it does not keep its average year-end leak backlog below 1,800.
David C. Flanagan, a spokesman for the Public Service Commission, said that all the parties involved with the proposed rules felt that the new standards were a reasonable and fair means to ensure that companies address leaks promptly.
The new rules come on the heels of a report completed on July 1 by the commission's safety department, reviewing the performance of utilities in dealing with leaks of natural gas. Con Ed ended 2003 with a backlog of 98 of the more hazardous types of unrepaired leaks, the report said. The Public Service Commission has defined four kinds of leaks — Type 1, Type 2, Type 2a and Type 3 — based on the seriousness of the hazard, its location and the amount of time needed to respond to it.
KeySpan last year faced 14,960 gas leaks, 4,853 of which were the potentially deadly type, according to the report. KeySpan finished the year, the report said, with a backlog of 419, four times higher than any other utility in the state. The report said that KeySpan's use of gas pipes with thin insulation was a possible reason for the high incidence of problems.
Andrea Staub, a spokeswoman for KeySpan, said that the numbers in the study were skewed.
Con Ed provides natural gas to customers in Manhattan and the Bronx and parts of Queens and Westchester County. KeySpan covers the rest of the city. Con Ed also provides steam for heating and air-conditioning to more than 100,000 buildings in Manhattan south of 96th Street.
The commission's report also found that other utilities lagged in response times to emergency calls about gas leaks. No utility met the commission's goal of responding within 30 minutes to at least 75 percent of calls. Con Ed was closest to the goal, responding to 71 percent of calls within a half-hour. KeySpan was furthest from the goal, responding within a half-hour 67 percent of the time. Numbers for years before 2003 were not available.
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