State Ends State Of Emergency For Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions

ANDOVER, MA — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker lifted the state of emergency Tuesday that he declared on Sept. 14, 2018, the day a gas utility's error set off more than 130 explosions in Andover, North Andover in Lawrence that killed one and forced thousands of people to leave their homes for months.

The 718-day state of emergency let the state Department of Public Utilities take steps to ensure public safety and restore gas, electric and water services to the three communities. "The termination of the State of Emergency is an important milestone in the Commonwealth’s recovery from the tragic gas incident in the Merrimack Valley," DPU Chairman Matthew Nelson said Tuesday.

A National Transportation Safety Board review of the explosions placed fault on Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, which has since been forced to sell its holdings in Massachusetts. The report said Columbia Gas waited 26 minutes to shut down a gas regulator after an alarm sounded in its Columbus, OH operations center.

The report said a crew working earlier in the day near the intersection of South Union and Salem Streets in Lawrence was replacing an older, low-pressure cast-iron gas pipe that had been installed in the early 1900s with a new plastic line. The regulators that should have sensed the increased pressure remained on the older, abandoned line. As the pressure dropped in that line, the regulators increased pressure to the new line.

In addition to the death of 18-year-old Leonel Rondon of Lawrence, 21 people -- including two firefighters -- were taken to hospitals on the day of the explosions. Seven other firefighters sustained minor injuries.

Since the explosions, DPU authorized Eversource Energy to take management control over the coordinated restoration effort. Columbia Gas was ordered to impose a moratorium on all work, except for emergency and compliance work, and was required to enter into an agreement with Nitsch Engineering to monitor the company’s management of the restoration and recovery work.

On New Year's Eve in 2018, Baker signed legislation that required all natural gas work that could pose a material risk to public safety be reviewed and approved by a certified professional engineer.

Following the release of the NTSB’s final report regarding the gas incident, the DPU formally opened two public investigations into the incident.

Last month, the Baker-Polito Administration and Attorney General Maura Healey reached an agreement with Columbia Gas that requires the company to pay $56 million for its role in the Merrimack Valley gas explosions and to leave Massachusetts by the upcoming heating season. These funds will provide debt relief to thousands of low-income gas customers and enable energy efficiency efforts in older homes and buildings in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence.