PG&E settlement requires safety measures

Increasing safety to gas lines is part of the settlement between Pacific Gas and Electric and the family of a mother and daughter killed in the 2010 San Bruno explosion, a lawyer said this week.

On Sept. 9, 2010, a natural gas line maintained by PG&E ruptured, causing an explosion and fire that killed eight and destroyed 38 homes. Among the eight killed were 44-year-old Jacqueline Greig and her 13-year-old daughter Janessa Greig. The agreement with the Greig family incorporates additional safety assessment practices for all segments of the gas transmission lines within high consequence areas.

"Our efforts to resolve this case, during the last six months this case was prosecuted, focused almost exclusively on strategies for assessing the potential for gas line failures in the future. PG&E and its counsel, while working with our engineers, agreed to implement these additional quantifiable safety measures,” attorney Steve Campora wrote in a prepared statement.

The agreement with the family was reached last year. The monetary provisions remain private.

"We’re working every day to do everything we can to make the victims of this tragedy as whole as possible. Our goal is to generate the safest gas utility company,” said PG&E spokeswoman Brittany Chord.

Under the agreement, PG&E will use hydrostatic testing measures to verify the pressure a pipe can withstand, and fatigue life calculations will be used to predict the useful life span of lines to allow for replacement prior to creating a risk. Lastly, parts of the Fracture Control and Assessment Plan will be enforceable by the family, according to the press release. The Greigs will be advised of the progress of the work and have the option to audit it should they choose.

Hydrotesting has been used since 2010 by PG&E.

"PG&E could not have been compelled by a jury verdict to include these additional assessment measures, so we are very pleased that they cooperated with our efforts to make these safeguards enforceable as part of the settlement,” Campora wrote.

As of Dec. 31, there were 447 plaintiffs involved in lawsuits related to the 2010 explosion. Three of those voluntarily dismissed their suits and 112 had settled, said Chord. Jury selection for the remaining cases is expected to start in late February and opening statements are expected March 11.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by email: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.