Feds Look to Stem Pipeline Dangers

Learn more about the dangers associated with natural gas pipelines, and the increased penalties that may result in better safety compliance.

2011-05-03

May 03, 2011 (Press-News.org) Feds Look to Stem Pipeline Dangers

The state of our nation's aging natural gas infrastructure has become a major concern in light of the recent string of pipeline explosions. Places like Allentown, Pennsylvania and San Bruno, California have seen firsthand the catastrophic aftermath of natural gas pipeline disasters. And, with 1.8 million miles of gas delivery lines veining the earth beneath the streets of almost every U.S. city and town, similar tragedies could happen anywhere.

Stepped Up Regulations

In some communities, gas pipelines that have seen continuous use for nearly a century are not uncommon. Sometimes they are made of outdated materials like cast iron that do not easily accommodate the latest automatic leak-detecting technologies.

Authorities are pushing for more severe penalties for gas companies that fail to meet stringent federal standards. Currently, civil fines for the violation of pipeline regulations are capped at a maximum of $100,000 per day, and $1 million for multiple violations. In early April, however, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation announced plans to ask lawmakers to increase the penalties to $250,000 and $2.5 million, respectively. The significant financial sting of the new penalties would create large incentives for gas providers to assure strict compliance.

Ever-present Dangers

Since 1990, nearly 3,000 major natural gas pipeline accidents have been recorded by U.S. government officials. Most of these incidents occur in unpopulated areas. Nonetheless, about 30 percent of the pipeline incidents resulted in death or serious injury.

Natural gas explosions can have devastating consequences. Gas companies must be held accountable for the costs associated with a failure of their equipment or procedures that result in harm to property and people.

If you or a loved one has been impacted by an accident involving natural gas, contact an experienced personal injury attorney to ensure you receive the justice you deserve.

Article provided by the Callahan Law Firm
Visit us at www.thecallahanlawfirm.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

In-hospital deaths declined over time at children's hospital without pediatric medical emergency team

2011-05-03

A study documents reduction in hospital mortality over ten years in a children's hospital without a Pediatric Emergency Medical Team (PMET), according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Hospital-based PMETs have been advocated as an approach to reduce rates of in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest and mortality (death) among children. Several previous studies that have evaluated outcomes before and after implementation of PMETs have found inconsistent results, with some showing benefit and some ...

Limited English proficiency among parents associated with increased length of hospital stay

2011-05-03

Among children whose parents and other primary caregivers have limited English proficiency, there is an associated increased length of hospital stay and decreased number of home health care referrals for pediatric inpatients with infections requiring long-term antibiotics, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "A language other than English is spoken in 14 million U.S. households by more than 55 million (roughly one in five) U.S. residents, nearly half of whom describe themselves as having ...

Ancient bipedal hominid dubbed 'Nutcracker Man' preferred grass to nuts, new study finds

2011-05-03

An ancient, bipedal hominid sporting a set of powerful jaws and huge molars that earned it the nickname "Nutcracker Man" likely didn't crack nuts at all, preferring instead to slurp up vast quantities of grasses and sedges, says a new study. The hominid, known as Paranthropus boisei, ranged across the African landscape more than 1 million years ago and lived side-by-side with direct ancestors of humans, said University of Colorado Boulder anthropology Professor Matt Sponheimer, a study co-author. It was long assumed Paranthropus boisei favored nuts, seeds and hard fruit ...

Padilla v. Kentucky and the Role of Criminal Defense Representation

2011-05-03

Padilla v. Kentucky and the Role of Criminal Defense Representation Since the U.S. Supreme court decided Padilla v. Kentucky in early 2010, the role of criminal defense representation related to counseling clients about the broader consequences of criminal convictions has been under scrutiny. The American Bar Association (ABA) used Padilla as a starting point to form a task force in late 2010 to study the impact of the case. While the outcome of the study could directly affect how current and past criminal cases are handled, the main practice consideration for criminal ...

Post-deployment PTSD symptoms more common in military personnel with prior mental health disorders

2011-05-03

Military service members who screened positive for mental health disorders before deployment, or who were injured during deployment, were more likely to develop post-deployment posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms than their colleagues without these risk factors, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "The relationship between preinjury psychiatric status and postinjury PTSD is not well understood because studies have used retrospective methods," write the authors. "The primary objective of ...

'Small fry' fish just as vulnerable to population plunges as sharks or tuna

2011-05-03

On land, being small and lurking at the bottom of the food chain is a far better strategy for species survival than being big, fierce and perched on top, at least when humans are after you – just ask the mice and grizzly bears. But talk to sharks and anchovies and they'll tell you a different story, according to a new study of fisheries collapses led by Stanford researchers. Analyzing over 200 scientific assessments of fisheries around the globe, the team found that populations of small fish such as sardines and anchovies were at least as likely to have collapsed at ...

Facing Future Education Costs for Children After a New Jersey Divorce

2011-05-03

Facing Future Education Costs for Children After a New Jersey Divorce Parents who are parting ways have a host of complex decisions to make, from alimony and division of property to child custody and child support. Every divorce is a unique legal matter with the potential for dispute at every turn, but through divorce mediation and a sense of cooperation, couples may be able to make the most of their marital assets to overcome future financial challenges. One important goal for many divorcing parents is to preserve their children's options for higher education. When ...

Austin, Texas, A Great Place To Start A New Business

2011-05-03

Austin, Texas, A Great Place To Start A New Business Austin is a great place to start a business. Austin is the U.S. market that is most conducive to the creation and development of small businesses, according to the latest On Numbers rankings. They used a six-part formula to analyze the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas, searching for the places that offer the best climates for small businesses. The ranking is based on: -Population: The Austin area added 286,000 residents between 2004 and 2009, an increase of 20.2 percent. The only metro to grow faster ...

Global warming won't harm wind energy production, climate models predict

2011-05-03

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The production of wind energy in the U.S. over the next 30-50 years will be largely unaffected by upward changes in global temperature, say a pair of Indiana University Bloomington scientists who analyzed output from several regional climate models to assess future wind patterns in America's lower 48 states. Their report -- the first analysis of long-term stability of wind over the U.S. -- appears in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. "The greatest consistencies in wind density we found were over the Great ...

Reliant Technology Announces EMC CX Storage Upgrade Program

2011-05-03

EMC reseller Reliant Technology is pleased to announce the EMC CX Storage Upgrade program to help EMC storage customers upgrade their EMC CX, EMC CLARiiON CX3, and EMC CX4 systems. The upgrade program is designed to provide greater flexibility and investment stability to EMC CLARiiON customers. EMC recently released its new VNX Storage system, leaving many legacy customers curious about what options exist for EMC CLARiiON systems that are currently or soon to be End-of-Life. As the manufacturer phases out support for these systems, Reliant Technology's EMC CX Storage ...

BioCompNet: a deep learning workflow enabling automated body composition analysis toward precision management of cardiometabolic disorders

Nonlinear association between systemic immune-inflammation index and in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and atrial fibrillation: a cross-sectio

Feds Look to Stem Pipeline Dangers

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: