ThinkProgress today provides a reminder that, like any form of fossil fuels, natural gas pipelines come with big risks:
A little after 11 p.m. local time in the western Illinois town of Erie, residents heard a massive blast and then saw flames shooting 300 feet into the air, visible for 20 miles.
A cornfield had just exploded.
Underneath the cornfield, a natural gas pipeline carrying gas byproducts ethane and propane had somehow ruptured, caught fire, and exploded, sending gouts of smoke into the air. Around 80 families within a one-mile radius of the blast were initially evacuated, though by Tuesday morning, all but two had returned to their homes.
The blast was reminiscent of the massive natural gas pipeline explosion in California in 2010 killed eight people. Fortunately, this one occured in a much less densely populated area.
The oil & gas industry wants to dramatically expand gas pipelines running into Massachusetts. But we got burned for our overreliance on gas-fired electricity last winter, natural gas prices are now rising again, and they could shoot up permanently if new gas export facilities are approved.
In the short-term, natural gas is a better choice than coal. But in the long run, simply switching our energy addiction from climate-disrupting, expensive coal to climate-disrupting, unknown-priced gas won’t create jobs in Massachusetts, won’t make us more energy independent, and will make the climate crisis much, much worse.
I’d much rather have more Massachusetts-made clean energy than more pipelines, wouldn’t you? If you agree, tell our members of Congress.
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There’s a high-pressure gas line that runs through Burlington, and another that goes through Chelmsford and crosses the Concord River in Billerica. I only know about those because they’re near places I’ve lived and worked; I’m sure there are many more. There’s probably a map someplace, for the convenience of those who hate us for our freedoms.
Here’s one of the two gas lines I mentioned, exploding in a huge ball of fire.
I’m an engineer. I guess my immediate reaction is (1) these things happen, (2) I wonder how old the line was, (3) I’m impressed that it was managed so quickly, (4) I’m glad nobody was hurt.
Trains derail from time to time. Most of the time, that happens when morons park trucks in front of them or muck with switches. Pipelines, especially old pipelines, spring leaks. Do we demand that the city of Boston revert to private wells because an old water main broke?
I enthusiastically agree that we need to move away from fossil fuels, quickly. My own engineering instinct is that solar-, hydro-, or wind-generated hydrogen will be a significant part of that move. I promise you that we will see many more such explosions while we develop and mature the infrastructure required by hydrogen-fueled transportation (and other energy consumers).