Red Bank Responds to NJNG Suit
Officials promise to not back down when it comes to the issue of replacing below ground gas regulators with above ground ones.
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Red Bank officials have refused to back down when it comes to the issue of replacing underground gas regulators with above ground ones, even in the face of a lawsuit recently filed by New Jersey Natural Gas.
On Wednesday, while State Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-11, and Red Bank Mayor Pat Menna were chastising the gas utility for employing secrecy in regulator replacement process, New Jersey Natural Gas was filing a suit against the borough in Monmouth County Superior Court.
At the end of February, Red Bank denied NJNG's application for construction permits, effectively halting the replacement of the gas regulators. The utility is seeking a court order to reverse the decision, alleging that Red Bank is in violation of federal law requiring utility companies to ensure the reliability and safety of their system.
"We'll meet them in court and at the statehouse," Menna said, following the news that the borough was being sued. "We've drawn a line in the gas and we're not backing down."
The gas utility wants to replace 88 gas regulators currently located beneath downtown borough sidewalks with above ground ones. One such above ground regulator was installed last year outside of Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. NJNG has the move is a necessary one, based on safety concerns and increased corrosion of gas lines associated with the below ground regulators. The borough believes the the above ground regulators, which are about two feet tall and nearly as wide, are unsightly and present a safety hazard to pedestrians, among other complaints.
Local officials say the crux of the issue is the unwillingness of New Jersey Natural Gas to be transparent throughout the process. Borough Administrator Stanley Sickles said the utility failed to provide information about recent regulator inspections, replacements, and possible alternatives to above ground regulators.
To help prevent the issue from happening again, Beck, a Red Bank resident, recently introduced legislation requiring any gas utility to study alternatives to project that would disrupt a municipality's infrastructure and share the findings, detail the decision making process, and restore any affect infrastructure to its original condition.
"The company's rush to court just shows how heavy handed and arrogant they've been in this process," Beck said in a release. "All we are asking for is full disclosure and some cooperation. Everybody involved here is a reasonable person. Call off your lawyers, come to the table, and talk to us.
According to NJNG Spokesperson Michael Kinney, the utility has replaced 144 below ground gas regulators with above ground ones in 17 communities throughout the state. Red Bank's replacement project would be one of the larger, if not the largest regulator replacement projects in the state.
Menna feels as though Red Bank's fight is one that will extend beyond its borders.
"We're going to take a stand," he said. "I think we're doing the right thing and after we do the right thing other communities will do the same."
Sal
4:32 am on Saturday, March 17, 2012
NJNG is placing their PROFITS above the safety of the lives on NJ residents. Those above ground regulators can be ruptured if struck by a motor vehicle and we all know the vehicles going up onto sidewalks and through store windows has become more and more common and frequent occurrence. NJNG should first prove they are save above ground by driving a truck into one of them so we can all see what happens.
Sal
5:04 am on Saturday, March 17, 2012
The Federal Report below makes the dangers of above ground ng regulators very clear.
CHAPTER II
REGULATOR AND RELIEF DEVICES
This chapter contains a simplified description of the pipeline safety requirements. The complete text can be found in 49 CFR Part 192.
Many regulators, particularly smaller ones, do not have the external control line Instead, internal control, it is inside some form of open throat construction or venturi tube. However, whether located internally or externally, every regulator has a control line or the equivalent.
Control lines must be adequately protected against breakage. If they are broken, the regulator opens wide and this could result in the full upstream line pressure (that is high) being dumped into the low-pressure system. This can lead to a catastrophic situation. The next item is the vent. While often appearing insignificant, the vent is important to a regulator. Regulators breathe. Therefore, the vent must be adequately protected from obstructions such as dirt, insects, ice, etc. If an obstructed vent prevents a regulator from breathing, the diaphragm will not work properly. In the event that the regulator fails to open, the higher pressure gas dissipates thru the vent. Also, water can get inside a regulator through an improperly positioned and unprotected vent.
Water inside a regulator can cause problems. Therefore, vents must be positioned and protected to keep the water out. This is particularly important on outdoor installations.
Sal
5:11 am on Saturday, March 17, 2012
From reading the Federal information above it appears that anyone can walk down the sidewalks in Red Bank or any town USA and merely push clay in and obstruct small hole that acts as the vent for the regulators and turn them into bombs to destroy a city. For that reason alone the regulators should be inside securely locked vaults. Because once the vent hole is blocked according to the info above the regulator cannot properly function and it would push high pressure ng into buildings that could result in devastating explosions..