GAS LEAKS BEFORE THE EXPLOSIONS, BUT ATMOS DIDN’T FIX THEM? THOMPSON HAS ALREADY CALLED FOR A PUBLIC BRIEFING. HE’S WORKING WITH STATE REGULATORS TO GET ANSWERS. 9354 7:02-7:07 <THE PEOPLE I KNOW EVERY TIME THEY SMELL GAS THEY KNOW THERE’S A POTENTIAL DANGER.> CONGRESSMAN BENNIE THOMPSON BELIEVES ATMOS ENERGY COULD HAVE DONE MORE TO STOP A POTENTIAL NATURAL GAS DANGER IN A SOUTH JACKSON NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT’S WHERE THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD SAID THIS WEEK THE GAS COMPANY FOUND A GAS LEAK NEAR CLARA BARBOUR’S HOME MORE THAN 2 MONTHS BEFORE 82 YEAR OLD WOMAN DIED WHEN HER HOME EXPLODED IN LATE JANUARY. 9354 6:47-7:00 CONGRESSMAN BENNIE THOMPSON <THAT THERE WERE INDICATIONS THAT ATMOS KNEW THAT GAS WAS ESCAPING IN THE AREA BUT DETERMINED THAT THOSE BREACHES WERE NOT HARMFUL.> ATMOS NEVER FIXED THE GAS LEAK WHICH IT CLASSIFIED AS NON- HAZARDOUS, ACCORDING TO NTSB’S INITIAL FINDINGS. THE FEDERAL AGENCY SAYS ATMOS ALSO FOUND ANOTHER GAS LEAK LESS THAN A MILE AWAY ON SHALIMAR DRIVE. AN EXPLOSION THERE DESTROYED TWO HOMES THREE DAYS AFTER THE BLAST THAT TOOK MRS. BARBOUR’S LIFE. 9354 7:16-7:31 <I SEE ALL THE ATMOS ASSETS IN TOWN NOW. WHY COULDN’T THOSE ASSETS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED WHEN THE BREAKS WERE FIRST DISCOVERED. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED.> THE CONGRESSMAN SAYS ONE BIG QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ANSWERED WERE COMPLAINTS ABOUT GAS LEAKS IGNORED? 9354 7:32-7:40 <PEOPLE UP CALLED THE OFFICE. SAYING THAT WE CALLED INDICATING WE SMELL GAS AND THEY SAID DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT. THAT’S UNFORTUNATE.> CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON SAYS HIS OFFICE IS WORKING WITH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER DE’KEITHER STAMPS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. 9354 7:55-8:09 <AND WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ATMOS CUSTOMERS REALLY NEED TO WORRY ABOUT. I THINK A PUBLIC UTILITY HAS AN OBLIGATION TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ITS CUSTOMERS.> ATMOS SAID THIS WEEK THE SAFETY OF IT CUSTOMERS, EMPLOYEES, AND COMMUNITIES IS THE COMPANY’S HIGHEST PRIORITY. ROSS ADAMS 16 WAPT NEW
2 gas explosions days apart killed 1 and left many worried and questioning safety
Updated: 6:00 PM CDT May 9, 2024
It’s been months since two gas explosions destroyed three homes and cost a woman her life in South Jackson. The investigation into those explosions is still in its early stages, but it’s already revealed that the natural gas lines in the Capital City need widespread work. The house explosions were three days apart in January. One killed 82-year-old Clara Barbour and left her husband, The Rev. Johnny Barbour, seriously injured.”It’s like an earthquake,” said Public Service Commissioner De’Keither Stamps. “You’ve been walking around the earth your whole life, but when the earth moves, it destabilizes you to a deep degree.”The lot on Bristol Boulevard where the Barbour’s home went up in flames the morning of Jan. 24, now stands empty. Atmos Energy identified a gas leak in the area two months before the explosion. Three days later, and less than a mile away, an abandoned house on Shalimar Drive exploded and flames spread to neighboring houses.Atmos also identified a gas leak on Shalimar Drive a month before. So, why weren’t they fixed? Atmos assigns each gas leak a grade — one, two or three. A Grade One leak has to be fixed immediately. Grade Two leaks are considered non-hazardous. When they’re detected, Grade Three leaks are considered unlikely to become hazardous.Woman found dead after house fire in JacksonAbandoned house explodes, destroying home next doorNTSB updates residents on investigation in 2 South Jackson house explosionsResident says she was evacuated so Atmos could work on gas lines after explosions at 2 Jackson homesNew report shows gas leaks months before Jackson house explosionsAtmos brings ‘significant amount of resources’ to Jackson following 2 house explosionsThe leak on Bristol Boulevard was Grade Two and the Shalimar Drive leak was Grade Three, so Atmos considered both of those leaks non-hazardous — until they weren’t. “We’re going to make sure that the rubrics that they use for determining what to fix and not fix is discussed and the policies are in place to keep Mississippians safe,” Stamps said.The fallout from those two explosions has dominated Stamps’ first term as central district public service commissioner. But the leaks were far from isolated.Jackson police said from late February of 2023, to last month, 911 dispatchers received 285 calls for gas leaks. Atmos’ website shows it currently has about 50 main replacement projects underway right now across the metro, which aren’t necessarily all related to leaks. But the National Transportation Safety Board said it knows of 289 leaks within 5 miles of the Jackson city limits, with 120 of those in South Jackson alone. Atmos said it has repaired about 200 of those leaks and that the only remaining leaks are Class Three, the least serious. But the NTSB still has to verify those reports.ATMOS released a statement saying safety is the company’s top priority.”We have been investing in Jackson and in Mississippi for years. Our investment is not new. Like roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, natural gas infrastructure ultimately must be replaced. We determine a schedule for replacement by using a risk-based prioritization model that considers factors like a pipe’s age, location, material, leak history, environmental factors, and more. Over the past five years, Atmos Energy has invested more than $387 million throughout Mississippi to enhance the safety and reliability of our system, and approximately 40 percent of that was invested in the City of Jackson.As we continue to modernize our system, residents will see Atmos Energy trucks, equipment, and crews in the Jackson area, and we will keep working with customers in the area to minimize the inconvenience, as we always strive to do.As part of normal operations when replacing pipelines in neighborhoods, Atmos Energy crews may have to cut into streets, alleys, sidewalks, and driveways. While work is going on, Atmos will make temporary repairs to the area. When the work is complete, we will make arrangements to permanently repair streets, alleys, sidewalks, roads and restore your landscaping to its original condition.We are committed to the safety of our customers, employees and communities and the safe and reliable operation of our natural gas system. Our employees live and work in this community, and we come to work every day focused on our vision to be the safest provider of natural gas services. The work we are doing in Jackson and throughout Mississippi enhances the safety and reliability of the system for our customers and communities,” Bobby Morgan, with Atmos, said.But Stamps said the gas leak problem extends far beyond the Capital City.”We’ve had natural gas leaks and drastic issues all the way up to Bolivar County in my district, so I don’t want to limit the scope of this for people to think it’s just a Jackson issue. It is a statewide issue,” Stamps said. “All this goes back to governance, so we’re making sure that we’re doing the things we need to do to be aggressive, not to rest on our laurels, but to be focused on pipeline safety, on effective digging at the city, county and the state level.”Stamps said the PSC and Atmos are working in lockstep to make the system safer, but there are two primary steps residents can take to maximize gas pipeline safety: If you smell gas, get out and call 911 immediately. If you’re doing any digging, call 811 first, so they can mark any pipelines on your property.”Excellence is the standard when it comes to putting a shovel in the ground, because in this business, if you’re not excellent, people die,” Stamps said.Atmos also has a hotline available 24/7: 866-322-8667.
It’s been months since two gas explosions destroyed three homes and cost a woman her life in South Jackson.
The investigation into those explosions is still in its early stages, but it’s already revealed that the natural gas lines in the Capital City need widespread work.
The house explosions were three days apart in January. One killed 82-year-old Clara Barbour and left her husband, The Rev. Johnny Barbour, seriously injured.
“It’s like an earthquake,” said Public Service Commissioner De’Keither Stamps. “You’ve been walking around the earth your whole life, but when the earth moves, it destabilizes you to a deep degree.”
The lot on Bristol Boulevard where the Barbour’s home went up in flames the morning of Jan. 24, now stands empty. Atmos Energy identified a gas leak in the area two months before the explosion. Three days later, and less than a mile away, an abandoned house on Shalimar Drive exploded and flames spread to neighboring houses.
Atmos also identified a gas leak on Shalimar Drive a month before. So, why weren’t they fixed? Atmos assigns each gas leak a grade — one, two or three. A Grade One leak has to be fixed immediately. Grade Two leaks are considered non-hazardous. When they’re detected, Grade Three leaks are considered unlikely to become hazardous.
The leak on Bristol Boulevard was Grade Two and the Shalimar Drive leak was Grade Three, so Atmos considered both of those leaks non-hazardous — until they weren’t.
“We’re going to make sure that the rubrics that they use for determining what to fix and not fix is discussed and the policies are in place to keep Mississippians safe,” Stamps said.
The fallout from those two explosions has dominated Stamps’ first term as central district public service commissioner. But the leaks were far from isolated.
Jackson police said from late February of 2023, to last month, 911 dispatchers received 285 calls for gas leaks. Atmos’ website shows it currently has about 50 main replacement projects underway right now across the metro, which aren’t necessarily all related to leaks. But the National Transportation Safety Board said it knows of 289 leaks within 5 miles of the Jackson city limits, with 120 of those in South Jackson alone. Atmos said it has repaired about 200 of those leaks and that the only remaining leaks are Class Three, the least serious. But the NTSB still has to verify those reports.
ATMOS released a statement saying safety is the company’s top priority.
“We have been investing in Jackson and in Mississippi for years. Our investment is not new. Like roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, natural gas infrastructure ultimately must be replaced. We determine a schedule for replacement by using a risk-based prioritization model that considers factors like a pipe’s age, location, material, leak history, environmental factors, and more. Over the past five years, Atmos Energy has invested more than $387 million throughout Mississippi to enhance the safety and reliability of our system, and approximately 40 percent of that was invested in the City of Jackson.
As we continue to modernize our system, residents will see Atmos Energy trucks, equipment, and crews in the Jackson area, and we will keep working with customers in the area to minimize the inconvenience, as we always strive to do.
As part of normal operations when replacing pipelines in neighborhoods, Atmos Energy crews may have to cut into streets, alleys, sidewalks, and driveways. While work is going on, Atmos will make temporary repairs to the area. When the work is complete, we will make arrangements to permanently repair streets, alleys, sidewalks, roads and restore your landscaping to its original condition.
We are committed to the safety of our customers, employees and communities and the safe and reliable operation of our natural gas system. Our employees live and work in this community, and we come to work every day focused on our vision to be the safest provider of natural gas services. The work we are doing in Jackson and throughout Mississippi enhances the safety and reliability of the system for our customers and communities,” Bobby Morgan, with Atmos, said.
But Stamps said the gas leak problem extends far beyond the Capital City.
“We’ve had natural gas leaks and drastic issues all the way up to Bolivar County in my district, so I don’t want to limit the scope of this for people to think it’s just a Jackson issue. It is a statewide issue,” Stamps said. “All this goes back to governance, so we’re making sure that we’re doing the things we need to do to be aggressive, not to rest on our laurels, but to be focused on pipeline safety, on effective digging at the city, county and the state level.”
Stamps said the PSC and Atmos are working in lockstep to make the system safer, but there are two primary steps residents can take to maximize gas pipeline safety: If you smell gas, get out and call 911 immediately. If you’re doing any digging, call 811 first, so they can mark any pipelines on your property.
“Excellence is the standard when it comes to putting a shovel in the ground, because in this business, if you’re not excellent, people die,” Stamps said.
Atmos also has a hotline available 24/7: 866-322-8667.
