PG&E has warned San Jose that the two of its 100 highest risk natural gas pipelines run in the northern part of the city. Though general locations were revealed, the gas company has stated that it will not reveal the precise locations until later today, when it releases its findings to the Public Utilities Commission. 

According to Mayor Chuck Reed, all that is known so far is that the sections are near the Tasman Drive and North First Street intersection and along the city’s boundary with Milpitas. The Mayor says that until PG&E releases additional information about the precise location and the cause of the San Bruno blast, “we’re not able to come up with anything specific that we should do differently.”

The PUC, which will receive the list of candidates for rapid replacement or repair, has said that they will make it public as soon as they obtain it. This did not provide any reassurance to local leaders, who contend that even having the list may not provide any indication of the severity of the problem.

In consequence, some city leaders are taking a more proactive approach. In Santa Clara, for example, City Manager Carol McCarthy has asked PG&E for precise information about age, depth, and state of repair of all gas pipes in the city, along with a schedule for any repair work planned. Sunnyvale’s Mayor Melinda Hamilton has made a similar request, but is careful not to express undue caution as well: “I don’t want to get concerned about something until I know what the facts are,” she says.

That same caution is being expressed by Mayor Reed. “We may have to take some extra precautions. We’re looking at our practices,” he says, but until the city has the facts, there’s not much else anyone can do. The ball is now in PG&E’s court.
Read More at the Mercury News.