East Ohio Gas Co., doing business as Enbridge Gas Ohio, which serves part of Brookfield, has agreed to pay $350,000 to address allegations of violating the pipeline safety code.
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Nov. 14 approved an agreement between East Ohio and PUCO staff that resolves the allegations.
The PUCO staff issued notice of the allegations in a letter June 15, 2023, that said East Ohio failed to maintain proper construction records, follow necessary procedures and ensure proper qualifications of outside contractors. The staff identified 11 instances between 2018 and 2021, most dealing with a failure to clean or coat newly installed or exposed pipes. None of the instances occurred in Brookfield.
The staff and East Ohio had discussions about actions taken to resolve the allegations, and filed the tentative agreement in February.
“The commission expects that EOG, in addition to undertaking the actions required by the stipulation, will continually review its management and operating practices related to GPS (gas pipeline safety) requirements and immediately correct any issues of concern,” the commission said. “Further, the commission expects the company to notify staff of any issues that are identified and regularly report to staff until the issues are resolved.”