PUC Investigation Concludes No Evidence 2023 Plum Boro Home Natural Gas Explosion In Allegheny County Caused By Gas Utility Equipment

On July 16, the Public Utility Commission  Safety Division, part of the Commission’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E), has concluded its investigation into the August 2023 incident in Plum Borough, Allegheny County. 

Following an extensive and exhaustive investigation into this tragedy, the Safety Division found no evidence linking public utility jurisdictional assets to the cause of the deadly house explosion and fire in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood which resulted in six deaths, several injuries, the destruction of three homes and damage to other surrounding residences.

While the PUC’s portion of the investigation has concluded, the Commission recognizes and deeply appreciates the profound level of concern this incident has generated within the community and our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this tragic event. 

The PUC remains steadfast in our commitment to public safety and our Safety Division experts are available as a resource to the Allegheny County Fire Marshal and other investigators who continue examining the cause of the Rustic Ridge Drive incident.

Rustic Ridge Incident and Safety Division Investigation

On August 12, 2023, pipeline safety engineers responded to the scene of a reported explosion and house fire at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum. 

While firefighting and recovery efforts were still active at the scene, investigators from the Safety Division began gathering information from residents, responders, and utilities around that location.

Following the conclusion of fire and rescue activities, safety engineers worked with other state and local agencies who also responded to the incident – including the Allegheny County Fire Marshal, the Department of Environmental Protection, Peoples Natural Gas (Peoples Gas) and other entities involved in the response to this incident.

Immediately following the incident, the Safety Division required field and laboratory testing of Peoples Gas service lines and other pertinent jurisdictional facilities and monitored integrity tests of nearby public utility natural gas service lines by crews from Peoples Gas.

The PUC safety team also conducted detailed interviews with utility employees, first responders and residents and collected and reviewed extensive data from Peoples Gas and monitored the safe restoration of electric and natural gas service to homes in the area that were not directly impacted by the explosion.

Additionally, engineers from the Safety Division assisted the fire marshal with the investigation of oil company assets near the explosion site and worked in conjunction with PA DEP to investigate other potential gas sources. 

While the Safety Division’s authority is limited to piping that falls under the PUC’s jurisdiction, the experience and expertise of safety engineers was valuable in assisting other investigators.

The focus of any further investigation of this incident involves the interior of the residence, which is outside the scope of the PUC’s jurisdiction and is subject to investigation by other agencies.

Acknowledgments and Continuing Commitment

The Safety Division appreciates the cooperation of Plum Borough, the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office, local fire and rescue personnel, the Department of Environmental Protection, and other agencies who responded to this incident. 

We also extend our gratitude to the residents and others impacted by this incident for their cooperation and patience during the investigation.

The PUC remains committed to ensuring public safety and will continue to serve as a resource for the ongoing investigation being conducted by local officials.

Resource Links:

-- DEP: Preliminary Test Results Not Indicative Of Stray Gas Migration Cause Of Plum Boro Home Explosion In Rustic Ridge Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

-- Shapiro Administration Secures Methane Detectors For Neighborhood In Plum Boro, Allegheny County Where Home Exploded  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 13 to 19 - Pipeline Construction Spill; 9 Abandoned Conventional Wells; Failure To Comply With Order  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - July 20  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 61 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In July 20 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Holds Aug. 1 Hearing On Water Withdrawal Requests For Amazon Data Center, Luzerne County; 8 Shale Gas Development, Gas Power Plant Withdrawals  [PaEN] 

-- The Derrick: Are Rate Increases In The Future For Rhodes Estate Water Companies In Venango County? [Impacts Continue From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Contamination Of Water Supply]  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Sets Aug. 21 Hearing On Air Quality Permit For Equitrans LP Compressor Station In Union Twp., Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Investigation Concludes No Evidence 2023 Plum Boro Home Natural Gas Explosion In Allegheny County Caused By Gas Utility Equipment  [PaEN]

-- Fayette County Republican Rep. Krupa Will Keep Fighting Carbon Capture, Other Environmental Injustices  [PaEN] 

-- Protect PT Hosts Aug. 1 Training Session On Using Its App To Report Problems At Oil & Gas Infrastructure Sites  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Peoples Gas Not At Fault In Plum Home Natural Gas Explosion That Killed 6, PUC Concludes

-- KDKA: Plum Residents Have Some Answers 1 Year After Deadline Natural Gas Explosion That Killed 6

-- TribLive: Peoples Gas Service Lines Not Responsible For Plum Natural Gas Home Explosion, PUC Finds

-- TribLive Editorial: PUC Report On Plum Home Natural Gas Explosion Doesn’t Deliver Final Answer

-- TribLive: North Huntingdon Twp. Rejects Lease For Shale Gas Drilling On Township Land In Westmoreland County

-- TribLive: West Deer Twp. Supervisors Plan Another Hearing On Proposed Shale Gas Drilling Zoning Changes Sept. 18 In Allegheny County  

-- WFMJ: Feds Plan To Plug 20 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Near The Shenango River Lake Reservoir, Recreation Area In Mercer County  

-- Public News Service: Martins Ferry, OH Residents Seeking Answers Over Lack Of Action On Cleaning Up PA Company’s Oil & Gas Waste Facility

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Cleanup Of Radioactive Oil & Gas Wastewater Sludge At PA Company’s Martins Ferry, OH Plant To Begin By End Of The Month 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Refracs Becoming Common Practice For Marcellus/Utica Oil & Gas Operators  [PDF]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Western PA Ready To Lead Hydrogen Energy Revolution - By Conor Lamb & Kate Harper,  Energy Future PA 

-- Sen. Yaw Measure Establishing Geologic Sequestration Framework Signed Into Law

-- Clean Air Task Force: PA Passes Geologic Sequestration Bill In An Important Step For Industrial Decarbonization

-- Better Path Coalition: With Shapiro’s Signature On Geologic Sequestration Bill, PA’s Fate Is Cast As Part Of Climate Problem, Not Solution

-- Environmental Health News: 30 Environmental Advocacy Groups Ask PA Governor To Veto Geologic Sequestration Of Carbon Dioxide Bill

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Geologic Sequestration Bill Step In Right Direction

-- Scientific American Guest Essay: New Satellites Alone Won’t Stop Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Industry

-- Bloomberg: Major Texas LNG Gas Export Facility Outage Dented Exports, Points To Massive US Natural Gas Supply Glut

-- Bloomberg: Hurricane Beryl Serves As Ominous Warning For Gulf Coast LNG Gas Export Facilities  [LNG Gas Facilities Vulnerable To Many Weather Threats]

-- YaleEnvironment360: A Gulf Coast Activist Rallies Her Community Against LNG Gas Export Facilities 

[Posted: July 16, 2024]  PA Environment Digest