The State - News from March 18, 1986

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. must increase its safety efforts to avoid “disastrous” incidents, a state report said, noting that the giant utility company has not spent about $10 million of more that $65 million authorized for pipeline leak repairs between 1980 and 1984. The Public Utilities Commission report said PG&E; should speed its proposed pipeline replacement program to avoid “probable disastrous gas incidents from older, less-safe pipes. Over the past several years, the safety efforts of PG&E; have been reduced by persistent monetary under-expenditures, human error and lack of a clearly defined gas pipeline replacement program.” Old, broken pipes have been blamed for about a dozen natural gas accidents in San Francisco in the past three years, including a $1-million explosion and fire that destroyed two homes in 1983.