Pressure Increase On San Bruno Line Violated Rules
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A newspaper is reporting that federal regulators say temporarily increasing the pressure beyond legal limits on natural gas lines, as Pacific Gas and Electric Co., has acknowledged it did on the pipeline that exploded in San Bruno last fall, violates federal regulations.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports in its Sunday print edition that natural safety gas rules provided to the newspaper by federal regulators say the utility would have had to inspect the pipeline in San Bruno for weak welds after spiking the pressure on the line.
According to an interpretation of natural gas safety rules provided by the newspaper at its request, PG&E would have had to inspect the pipeline after it increased the pressure on the lines in 2003 and 2008.
A PG&E spokesman says the increases were safe and necessary for the operation of the line.
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