The West Virginia Public Service Commission is looking at a slight increase in its budget to improve natural gas pipeline safety.
State PSC Chairman Mike Albert presented the agency’s budget Monday to members of the House Finance Committee and mentioned their plans to hire a couple more gas pipeline inspectors to administer and enforce gas pipeline safety regulations as outlined in the West Virginia Code.
Albert said currently they are below the number of inspectors they should have.
“We believe that we should be at, under the standards set by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), four to five people and we are currently at three,” said Albert. “But we intend to get back up to five.”
The slight increase would bring the agency’s budget up to $385,000.
Albert also highlighted that the PSC continues to work with PHMSA to collect records on the 15,000 miles of pipeline in the state and all the pumping stations, in light of the Sissonville natural gas pipeline explosion on December 11.
In regards to the explosion, Albert said records they have seen, up to this point, show no indication of any known problems or anything amiss, but they continue to look.
Albert pointed out that these records are more relying on the construction and oversight of the construction of pipeline systems in the state and the inspection of meter stations and pumping stations rather than the actual inspection of each pipe underground.
Albert told the committee it would be nice to be able to walk every line and check its quality like people want them too, but he said it’s just not possible due to costs.
“There’s only one source of revenue and that’s the rate payers,” said Albert. “At some point there has to be a balance.”
Albert added that he doesn’t like asking for balance when talking about explosions, but it’s just the facts.
“All we can do is do the best we can and our people are out looking at records,” said Albert.
Albert assured the committee the state PSC continues to do all they can in respect to the utility companies including constant encouragement to inspect and replace their lines.
