Tiny Holes, Faulty Parts to Blame for Failed Pipeline Inspections

DENVER (AP) — Colorado regulators say tiny holes or faulty parts could be the reason that about 430 oil or gas pipelines failed a leak-detection test after a fatal explosion blamed on gas seeping from a severed line.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said Thursday the number of pipelines that failed represents 0.35 percent of the lines tested.
Gov. John Hickenlooper also noted the failures are relatively low but said each leak requires attention.
Regulators say the status of another 13,000 pipelines remains unclear, and they’re working with energy companies to get more information.
More than 107,000 pipelines either passed the test or were out of service and sealed.
The state ordered tests on pipelines within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of occupied buildings after the fatal explosion in April.
Related News
From Archive

- NTSB publishes preliminary report on fatal gas pipeline explosion in Lexington, Mo.
- 290-mile gas pipeline expansion proposed across Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina
- Ripple Fiber breaks ground on $140 million project, expanding into central Mass.
- City of Albuquerque halts fiber optic construction in response to damage, complaints
- Body retrieved day after fatal trench collapse at Bakersfield, Calif., job site
- Gehl and Mustang offer world’s largest skid loader
- Growing Pains and Gains
- Authorities investigating trench collapse that killed worker in Ashburn, Va.
- City of Albuquerque halts fiber optic construction in response to damage, complaints
- Pasadena, Calif., undergrounding project could take 500 years to finish
Comments