Contra Costa Officials Look At Pipeline Safety
MARTINEZ (KCBS) - The deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno has prompted Contra Costa County officials to get more information about the location of gas lines in the county.
Randy Sawyer, Director of the Contra Costa Hazardous Materials Division said knowing the location of the lines is critical for first responders.
"We get the calls out to where people smell natural gas from time-to-time," he said. "And if we know there's a transmission line close by, at least we can work with PG&E."
KCBS Dave Padilla Reporting:
Sawyer and other county officials have been in talks with PG&E officials about releasing what the utility had considered "proprietary information."
John Gioia, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said PG&E has agreed to release the information, on one condition.
"PG&E indicated to us that they would want the pipeline locations to be treated like homeland security documents," Gioia said. "So that they're not out to the general public."
Following the deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Contra Costa officials reassessed their plans for responding to such incidents and found that they were lacking information about pipelines in the county.
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