Adjacent Lincoln County pipelines may have been affected in deadly explosion

Federal regulators have sent the owner and operator of a natural gas transmission line an order following a deadly explosion in Lincoln County.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has sent an order containing corrective actions to Enbridge following the Texas Eastern Transmission rupture. It details what must be done before adjacent pipelines can be used to transport natural gas again.

66 million cubic feet of natural gas was released when the pipeline ruptured August 1. That’s just one of the new items of information we are learning in this 14-page order that details the other two adjacent gas lines in the same area where the explosion happened.

The 30-inch pipeline that exploded transports natural gas from Pennsylvania to Mississippi. It was the middle line of three lines about 20 feet apart from each other. The other lines were turned off, and it could be an extended period of time before Enbridge will be allowed to reopen them. The corrective action order even states when the pipelines are cleared to reopen, they must be done so at reduced pressure. This is because the explosion may have impacted the adjacent transmission lines with "concussive force and thermal damage," and it could pose a threat to people nearby.

"I am confident in the company’s dedication and commitment to doing that. But do we worry about it? Certainly. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t," Don Gilliam with Lincoln County Emergency Management said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is wrapping up its on-site investigation, and the area of the explosion is being turned back over to Enbridge. The company says it will work to meet federal requirements, and the adjacent pipelines will be subject to rigorous inspections.