Millenium gas pipeline is leaky, regulators say

Federal regulators suspect that a major natural gas pipeline in New York may be riddled with faulty welds and have ordered the pipelineís operator to take immediate protective action to prevent a tragedy, according to documents obtained byNaturalGasWatch.org.

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PMHSA) issued the order on July 6, after a leak that was discovered in January in the Millenium pipeline, which runs between Steuben and Rockland counties.

During a routine patrol, bubbles caused by a leak were seen emerging from a creek in a remote part of Tioga County, ultimately resulting in the release of more than 1.3 million cubic feet of natural gas. The New York Department of Public Service subsequently inspected the line and determined that the leak resulted from a defective weld that joined two segments of the 30-inch pipeline.

The Millennium serves the northeast. Its customers are National Grid, Consolidated Edison, Central Hudson Gas and Electric, and Columbia Gas.