The State Public Utility Commission last week voted 5-0 to accelerate the process for identifying, removing, and replacing older plastic pipes and components in Pennsylvania’s natural gas distribution systems. Gas distributors would be permitted to use a Distribution System Improvement Charge to fund quicker replacement of brittle plastic pipes, just as they have to replace old cast iron and unprotected steel pipe over the past decade, reducing that inventory to a fraction of what it once was. Now the PUC wants to replace aging plastic pipe installed between the 1960s and 1980s.
The PUC recently conducted a survey of distributors seeking to identify how at-risk the system is, but not all companies responded. Under the regulation approved last week, they would all be required to do so. At-risk pipe would be added to existing replacement plans and smaller utilities would be required to file a Pipeline Replacement Plan.
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