PG&E Admits To Raising Pressure In San Bruno Pipeline Before Blast
SAN BRUNO (AP) – PG&E has acknowledged that it briefly raised the pressure on the gas pipeline that exploded in San Bruno to the legal limit two years before the fatal blast.
Pacific Gas and Electric officials said the company raised the pressure on the line to 400 pounds per square inch for two hours on Dec. 9, 2008.
Officials with PG&E said that the artificial spike was "part of our operating practice."
Experts said that the increase in pressure could have placed a strain on the pipeline that made it more vulnerable to failure. The company said it believed that the 400 pounds per square inch was a "very safe level."
The September blast leveled 38 homes and killed eight people.
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