Explosive methane is leaking from hundreds of pipes in Boston, says group

There are hundreds of leaking National Grid gas lines in some of Boston's most vulnerable neighborhoods, and 15 of them pose “imminent danger of explosion and fire.” According to the Conservation Law Foundation, the company is failing in its legal obligation to fix the problem.

In a letter, CLF declares its intention to sue the gas utility and force it to fix the hundreds of “Grade 1” natural gas leaks in and around the city. According to CLF, National Grid is not doing enough to address an “imminent and significant threat to health and the environment.”

“According to National Grid's leak data, there are 609 active leaks in the affected communities and 7,118 active leaks in National Grid's Massachusetts service territory. Any instance of an inappropriate response by National Grid to a gas leak or a gas leak that poses a risk to health or the environment and does not comply with the (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act), the (Pipeline Safety Act) or Massachusetts law is a violation,” they wrote.

“There are more than 1,400 cases where National Grid failed to repair gas leaks in a timely manner and gas leaks caused health and environmental damage,” the CLF wrote.

According to the letter, more than 40 percent of the company's distribution pipes are made of “cast iron, wrought iron, steel, copper and certain corrosive plastics” that leak natural gas, and the company has failed in its obligation to permanently fix the problem.

“Plaintiffs' investigators discovered 15 explosive leaks in the affected communities in just seven days. In 2022, National Grid was the only gas company in the Commonwealth that did not repair all dangerous leaks by year-end, even though National Grid is required to repair dangerous leaks immediately,” they wrote.

A “Level 1” leak is defined under state law as “a leak that poses an existing or probable danger to persons or property” that requires “immediate commencement of repair and ongoing action until
Conditions are no longer hazardous, the source of the leak has been eliminated and permanent repairs are complete.”

The CLF says that methane gas flows out of the pipes, which can become explosive in closed spaces when concentrated. The “explosive area” is when the methane content of the air is between 5 and 15 percent, according to the CLF.

A street survey found “alarming levels of methane” in parts of Chelsea, Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury, South End and Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Back Bay.

According to CLF, natural gas leaks can and have dangerous – and even fatal – consequences.

“In December 2017, a gas leak from the National Grid electric utility in Roslindale ignited flames as tall as a two-story house for over 24 hours. In 2018, several gas-fueled explosions damaged 131 buildings (including five homes), killed a teenager, and injured people in the Merrimack Valley. In December 2019, gas leaks caused 12 manhole covers to explode in Brookline, where residents had smelled gas for years. Also in 2019, a gas-fueled basement fire was reported in Mattapan. In June 2022, gas leaks caused two manhole covers (each weighing 200 pounds) to explode in Boston's Financial District, shattering windows and injuring one person,” they wrote.

Leonel Rondon, 18, of Lawrence, died when the chimney of an exploding house struck his car and crushed him. Rondon had only received his driver's license hours earlier. Rondon's family later settled with the utility company involved in the disaster.

The explosions were caused by over-pressurized pipelines operated by Massachusetts-based Columbia Gas, according to a federal investigation. The utility agreed to pay the state $56 million in 2020, in addition to a $53 million fine and a $143 million settlement.

Even though methane gas is not concentrated enough to explode, CLF says the leaks still have a direct impact on the health of people in the greater Boston area. The Law Foundations cited research showing that methane displaces oxygen in the soil and kills shade trees. Fewer trees mean less shade, and Boston, like all cities, is already subject to a phenomenon known as the “heat island effect.”

“The heat island effect refers to urban areas that are much warmer than their outlying areas (sometimes by as much as 15°C) because urban areas lack trees and green spaces and have more heat-trapping buildings and pavements,” CLF wrote.

“Gas leaks kill important public shade trees. The methane in the gas deprives the soil of oxygen and moisture that trees need to survive. As a result, National Grid's tree-killing gas leaks will exacerbate the catastrophic health impacts of extreme heat and heat islands,” they wrote.

The letter states that National Grid has 90 days to fix the problem or face legal action.

Heather Govern, CLF's vice president of clean air and water, says her organization wants National Grid to “stop violating federal and state laws by putting Band-Aids on dangerous, leaky pipelines,” but also wants the company to “take action and transition its customers away from natural gas so communities can benefit from renewable energy options and live in a healthier, tree-rich environment without the risk of pipeline explosions.”

A National Grid spokesman told the Herald: “You will understand that we are unable to comment on this matter as the case is still under trial.”

Originally published: 14 August 2024 at 19:53