PG&E Reports Progress on Fulfilling NTSB Recommendations

Made Strides in 2011, President Says

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Dec 22, 2011, 05:36 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has completed several of the recommendations outlined by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in response to the September 2010 San Bruno pipeline accident.

Since the accident, PG&E has concentrated on modernizing its operations and has introduced new management to lead the effort. The NTSB's recommendations, produced in September from the agency's nearly yearlong investigation into the San Bruno accident, are in line with and have helped guide PG&E's actions toward improving the safety of its systems.

"PG&E has fully embraced the NTSB's important recommendations, and we're grateful for the agency's investigation and direction," said PG&E President Chris Johns. "We are united with our regulators in our determination to prevent a tragedy like the San Bruno accident from ever happening again."

Among the steps taken to address the NTSB's concerns, PG&E has verified the maximum allowable operating pressure on 1,600 miles of natural gas pipelines, updated its emergency response plan to reflect industry best practices, and is implementing data management systems to ensure its pipeline records are traceable, verifiable and complete.

"PG&E has done an unprecedented amount of work in 2011 to improve the safety of our gas system," Johns added, "We're encouraged by this progress and recognize that there is much still to be done."

PG&E's Pipeline Safety Enhancement Plan, which was submitted this year for approval to the California Public Utilities Commission, details many of the improvements under way or planned over the next few years. The plan incorporates and goes beyond the NTSB's recommendations, calling for continued pipeline replacement and retrofits.

More information on the actions PG&E is taking to improve the safety of its gas system can be found in PG&E's Integrated San Bruno Response Plan at http://www.pge.com/myhome/edusafety/systemworks/gas/overview/

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company