DEP issues $30.6 million fine after 2018 landslide causes pipeline to rupture, catch fire

PITTSBURGH — A 2018 fire that burned acres of forest, a single-family home, a barn and multiple vehicles was sparked by gas that ignited from a pipeline that had ruptured, according to emergency officials. A landslide caused the pipeline to break open, and now the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has fined the owner $30.6 million for the landslide, explosion and fire.

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On Sept. 10, 2018, the explosion, which occurred in a line owned and operated by ETC, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, led to the evacuation of people from 25 to 30 homes. Power was knocked out to the area after six high-voltage transmission towers collapsed, and schools were closed.

The 24-inch gas pipeline was buried about 3 feet below the surface. The fire eventually burned itself out after an automated system shut down valves on the pipeline.

RELATED: What we know about the company who runs gas line that exploded

DEP officials said their investigation found ETC failed to stabilize “a number of areas along the pipeline resulting in additional slides," had failed to address stormwater runoff, and that the company “illegally impacted” streams and wetlands along the pipeline.

The state agency said the money from the fine will go toward oversight of the oil and gas industry and projects improving Pennsylvania’s waterways.

PennFuture President and CEO Jacquelyn Bonomo issued a statement in response to the fine levied against Energy Transfer Partners:

“Energy Transfer Partners has shown, time and again, that it prioritizes profits above the safety and well-being of Pennsylvania’s residents and the environment. Even before the announcement of this unprecedented civil penalty regarding the Revolution Pipeline, Energy Transfer had already incurred nearly 100 violations and more than $13 million in fines associated with its Mariner East 2 pipeline. This company has shown no respect for Pennsylvania’s laws or its people, and PennFuture applauds the DEP for holding this bad actor accountable for its environmental degradation and repeated violations.”

Dog dies in fire that badly charred home in Westmoreland County Dog dies in fire that badly charred home in Westmoreland County

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