State Lawmakers Convene First Hearing On San Bruno Pipeline Tragedy
SACRAMENTO (KCBS) - San Bruno city leaders, government regulators and PG&E officials were among those expected to participate in the first legislative hearing Tuesday on the deadly San Bruno explosion and fire.
KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:
Lawmakers made clear they had some tough questions for the utility.
Watch The Hearing (California Channel)
"These pipes are 60 years old or close to 60 years old," Assemblyman Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) said ahead of the Tuesday hearing. "What is their condition? How are they inspected? There are a number of ways that PG&E inspects theses pipes and are they adequate? Is that an acceptable way, and what's the oversight?"
The September 9th fireball killed 8 people and destroyed 37 homes, devastating San Bruno's Crestmoor neighborhood, in Hill's district.
He expected PG&E to explain itself.
"Why it took 34 minutes from the time of the incident until the time someone was dispatched to turn off the valves, to stop the flow of gas in the area."
He also planned to ask PG&E why it never replaced an aging section of pipe less than 3 miles from the blast origin.
"In 2007 they received $5 million to repair a pipe that was considered high risk. And then in 2008, it was determined that it wasn't high risk. But they took that $5 million and spent it elsewhere."
Two state senate committees were to be involved in the hearing.
"The overview and then get into maintenance inspection and financing of the gas pipelines, then looking at the liability, reactions and observations," Hill described the overall purpose of Tuesday's session.
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