Oversight of gas pipeline safety lagging

摘要

Knoxville, Tennessee-Efforts to regulate the safety of natural gas gathering pipelines are at a standstill in the US just as more large- diameter, high-pressure versions are being installed to deal with burgeoning production from shale plays. The issue of unregulated gathering lines has gained prominence for two key reasons: the scrutiny of gas operations overall as hydraulic fracturing spreads, and a string of high-profile, deadly pipeline accidents such as those in San Bruno, California, and Allen- town, Pennsylvania.