New England Public Radio

Berkshire Gas Looking For Ways To End Moratorium On New Service

Berkshire Gas says it’s looking for ways to increase capacity and end a moratorium on new hookups in Hampshire and Franklin Counties. But the company is making no guarantees.

It’s been over a year since Berkshire Gas stopped installing new service in eight communities, including Amherst and Greenfield.

The company planned to tap into the Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline, but with that project dead, Berkshire Gas says it’s looking at other ways to bring more gas to the area. In filings with the state, the company says leaving the moratorium in place is still an option. State Rep. Paul Mark represents some of the affected towns.

“If the moratorium stays in place, then it’s time to look more seriously into alternative energies and and alternative fuels,” Mark says. “If people are going to be using gas, there has to be ways to reduce consumption.”

And as for the company’s reliance on the now-defunct Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline, State Rep. Steve Kulik, who also has affected towns in his district, says Berkshire Gas should have had a backup plan all along.

“We can’t just say to an entire group of communities in Franklin and Hampshire Counties, ‘Sorry, but the amount of gas you get today is what you’re going to get for an indefinite period in the future,'” Kulik says. “It just doesn’t meet Berkshire Gas Company’s obligations as a public utility.”

Meanwhile, a similar ban on new service from another provider, Columbia Gas in Northampton and Easthampton, also remains in place

Concern Over Potential Gas Leaks Grow As The Spring Weather Warms Up

The fatal explosion last week in New York has utilities in neighboring states advising their customers about the signs of a gas leak. The explosion in Harlem killed eight people and injured 60 others.

Andrea Luppi is a spokesperson for Columbia Gas Company in Massachusetts. The spring and summer months are when Columbia Gas Company get the most reports of gas leaks.

“Warm temperatures have an impact on frost and pipes that are in the ground so there could be a leak caused from the adjustment of the ground,” Luppi says.

She also says that one of the signs of a gas leak is the smell of rotten eggs. Gas is colorless and odorless so gas companies add a stinky chemical called mercaptan so people will be able to tell if there is a leak.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Springfield, Columbia Gas Reach Settlement Over Downtown Gas Explosion

Springfield officials have reached a settlement with Columbia Gas Company related to last November’s natural gas explosion that heavily damaged a section of the city’s downtown.

Columbia Gas will pay $650,000 to cover the costs of public safety personnel responding to the November 23rd, 2012 blast, as well as damage to city property.

“Streets, sidewalks…any type of water mains or public utilities that run under the road there, ” says Jim Leydon, a spokesperson for Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno.

Leydon says the city will get an additional $200,000 from the utility’s foundation to help develop a revitalization plan for the affected area.

“It’s the first step in a process that the city will take in how to utilize the space down there to determine the best use…of some of the land and move forward accordingly,” he says.

One building  was completely leveled. Several others were damaged beyond repair, and as many as two dozen other structures within a 3-block radius of the explosion sustained damage, including shattered windows.  There were no fatalities, but 18 people, many of them first responders, were injured.

A spokesperson for Columbia Gas says while talks  between the utility and  some affected residents and businesses are still ongoing, the vast majority of claims from the explosion have been settled.

Claims Center Opens At Springfield City Hall For Victims Of Gas Explosion

Victims of Friday’s gas explosion in downtown Springfield began filing claims today [Monday] at a temporary processing center at City Hall, set up by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts. A company official says more than one hundred residents and businesses were expected to seek reimbursement for damage to their properties.
Candice Lopes was one of the people displaced by the explosion filing claims at the center. Lopes, who is wheel-chair bound and lives about a block and a half from the blast site, says she and her husband were not injured when the explosion blew out their living room window, shattering some picture frames and cracking their television set. The couple was evacuated and has been staying at the local Sheraton. Lopes says for now Columbia Gas is offering to pay some of their immediate expenses.
“They are going to today give us some kind of debit card to handle our stay at the Sheraton, meals and that kind of thing. And clothes, we have to pick up because we’ve only been able to get into our building for about 10-15 minutes, and that was Sunday.”
Sheila Doiron, a spokeswoman for Columbia Gas, says claims filed so far have ranged from relatively minor window damage to total destruction. She says many of the displaced have not been able to get back into their residences to take stock of the damage. But she says it’s important for the company to take responsibility for what happened and try to help people get back to normal as soon as possible.
“We know that these people went through a profound event on Friday night. And it was very important to us to make sure that we responded as quickly as possible and got help in their hands as quickly as possible.”
Doiron says the temporary claims center will be open again on Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm. She says people who are unable to make it to the claims center can file their claims with a Columbia Gas representative through a toll-free phone number.