Columbia Gas agrees to pay $1M civil penalty for 2019 house explosion - Insurance News | InsuranceNewsNet

InsuranceNewsNet — Your Industry. One Source.™

Sign in
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home Now reading Newswires
Topics
    • Life Insurance News
    • Annuity News
    • Health/Employee Benefits
    • Property and Casualty
    • Advisor News
    • Washington Wire
    • Regulation News
    • Sponsored Articles
    • Monthly Focus
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
  • Webinars
  • Free Newsletters
Sign in or register to be an INNsider.
  • Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
  • Webinars
  • Free Newsletters
  • Insider Pro
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Staff
  • Contact
  • Newsletters

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Newswires
Newswires RSS Get our newsletter
Order Prints
June 21, 2022 Newswires No comments
Share
Share
Tweet
Email

Columbia Gas agrees to pay $1M civil penalty for 2019 house explosion

Observer-Reporter (Washington, PA)

Columbia Gas will pay a nearly $1 million civil penalty to the state Public Utility Commission for causing the July 2019 house explosion in North Franklin that destroyed the residence, damaged several neighboring homes and injured at least five people.

The $990,000 penalty was agreed upon as the company acknowledged mistakes in how it went about the process of installing new natural gas pipelines in the area while not properly regulating the flow to 100 Park Lane when the house fill with gas and then exploded.

The joint settlement between Columbia Gas and the PUC's Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement was reached in March, and the three-member Public Utility Commission voted unanimously Thursday to publish it for inspection before its final approval.

"Columbia Gas fully acknowledges the seriousness of the allegations and recognizes the need to prevent future reoccurrences," the settlement states.

The investigation into the explosion and proposed settlement found eight violations by Columbia Gas that led to the accident, including not installing a service regulator to the line that connected with 100 Park Lane before pressurizing the mainline. The settlement states that the company's "incremental update plan" for the Dewey Avenue Replacement Project did not identify that house as being affected by the pipeline upgrades.

"According to investigators, the primary cause of the explosion was the over-pressurization of the house piping and appliances – noting that Columbia Gas had failed to include the residence on the company's maps for its nearby 'Dewey Avenue Replacement Project,' and, as a result, the house was not equipped with a service regulator when operating pressure in the Columbia Gas distribution system was significantly increased," the PUC said in a written statement announcing the settlement.

The company took full responsibility for the accident the day after the July 31, 2019, explosion. The settlement would require Columbia Gas to make substantial changes in future pipeline projects.

Five people, including three firefighters, were injured when the house located near Trinity High School unexpectedly exploded when the residence filled with gas. The explosion shot debris high into the air and sent shockwaves across Washington that could be felt miles away. The Park Lane house was decimated with debris scattered everywhere, while another nearby home had to be condemned and many others sustained damage.

The homeowner, Deborah Braden, was outside her house at the time and injured in the explosion, but survived. She later sued Columbia Gas in federal court asking for $400,000 in damages. Braden and her homeowner's insurance company, State Farm, settled out of court with Columbia Gas for an undisclosed amount of money in April 2021, according to federal court documents.

Washington County property records show Braden built a new home in 2021 on the same parcel as her previous house.

Details of the PUC's proposed settlement are being advertised in the Pennsylvania Bulletin asking for public comments from interested parties. Those who would like to comment have until mid-July to submit statements at www.puc.pa.gov/filing-resources/efiling. Once that process is completed, a final decision will be made on the settlement.

Older

HUMANA INC FILES (8-K) Disclosing Change in Directors or Principal Officers

Newer

Permanent Life Insurance Market to Witness Huge Growth by 2028 : AIG, Aviva, AIA: Permanent Life Insurance Market 2022

Advisor News

  • What happens if your clients work while receiving Social Security?
  • Fed official: Bank rules under review in wake of SVB failure
  • Lawmakers open to Biden’s call to claw back SVB executive pay
  • ‘Clear fees’ cited as most important for financial services firms
  • Commentary: Why Monte Carlo simulations can sell retirement investors short
Sponsor
More Advisor News

Annuity News

  • Commentary: Why Monte Carlo simulations can sell retirement investors short
  • Rethinking a 2023 rebalance as rate hikes remain
  • Why MYGAs are enjoying a renaissance
  • Nationwide and Fidelity Investments establish distribution relationship
  • Conning: Growing demand for in-plan annuities creates opportunity for insurers
Sponsor
More Annuity News

Health/Employee Benefits News

  • New mothers could receive Medicaid coverage for a year under bipartisan proposal for Wisconsin
  • How Medicare Advantage could become a marquee issue in Nevada's 2024 Senate race
  • Hood: We’re sliding towards single payer
  • NJ doctor admits role in health care fraud conspiracy
  • Here’s how Sutter Health will invest millions to bring doctors closer to California patients
More Health/Employee Benefits News

Life Insurance News

  • State insurance regulators pursue more data on industry use of AI
  • Modern Life announces distribution partnership with Symetra
  • LIMRA: Life insurance premium expected to maintain record levels through 2024
  • Sordid Murdaugh crime saga far from over
  • Iowa woman gets 2 years in prison for defrauding life insurance policy of neighbor
More Life Insurance News

- Presented By -

Top Read Stories

  • Is your client emotionally ready for retirement?
  • Insurance industry reps leery of NAIC big data, AI questions
  • Private equity insurance investors facing higher capital charges for CLOs
  • When it comes to investment decisions, 2 personality traits stand out, study says
  • 7 steps on how to be a successful female financial advisor
More Top Read Stories >

Press Releases

  • RFP #T01523
  • Senior Market Sales Enters Under-65 Individual Health Insurance Market With Acquisition of O’Neill Marketing
  • RFP #T01723
  • Trusted by 22 of the Top 25 Property and Casualty Carriers, Insurity Strengthens Its Position as a Top 2 Core System Provider for P&C Software
  • Insurity’s Cloud-Based Sure Underwriting Workbench Now Available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace
More Press Releases > Add Your Press Release >

How to Write For InsuranceNewsNet

Find out how you can submit content for publishing on our website.
View Guidelines

Topics

  • Life Insurance News
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits
  • Property and Casualty
  • Advisor News
  • Washington Wire
  • Regulation News
  • Sponsored Articles
  • Monthly Focus

Top Sections

  • Life Insurance News
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits News
  • Property and Casualty News
  • AdvisorNews
  • Washington Wire
  • Insurance Webinars

Our Company

  • About
  • Editorial Staff
  • Magazine
  • Write for INN
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Sign up for our FREE e-Newsletter!

Get breaking news, exclusive stories, and money- making insights straight into your inbox.

select Newsletter Options
Facebook Linkedin Twitter
© 2023 InsuranceNewsNet.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • AdvisorNews

Sign in with your Insider Pro Account

Not registered? Become an Insider Pro.