NTSB: 2 Texas Pipelines not Marked Before Deadly Blasts

A federal official says neither natural gas pipeline in the Texas Panhandle nor Cleburne area was marked before utility crews accidentally hit them in early June, causing deadly explosions.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman also says a company failed to seek a permit before doing excavation work prior to the June 8 blast that killed two workers. A bulldozer struck a pipeline near Darrouzett.

She says the north Texas line near Cleburne wasn’t marked when crews began digging June 7, causing a blast that killed one worker, but that construction company had followed proper procedures in locating the line before digging.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Hersman’s comments came recently at a U.S. Senate committee’s hearing on pipeline safety.

Information from: The Dallas Morning News