Texas Regulators Face Scrutiny Over Unremoved Dangerous Gas Pipes Decades After Order
Texas regulators are under scrutiny following a natural gas pipe explosion in Lake Dallas in March, which severely injured a woman. The explosion was caused by a Poly-1 natural gas pipe, a type that Texas regulators had ordered removed decades earlier due to a documented pattern of cracking and leaking. Records reviewed by CBS News suggest that the state may not have confirmed whether utilities fully replaced these dangerous pipes. A deadly house explosion in Garland on January 28, 2000, which killed Albert Holbert, Lillian Holbert, and Callie Hickerson, had intensified the push to remove Poly-1 pipes. After this incident, regulators ordered a utility to locate and remove all remaining Poly-1 pipes. However, records indicate the utility missed deadlines, incurred penalties, and had not completed the removal nearly three years later. When the gas system changed ownership in 2004, the new owner claimed to believe the pipe had already been removed, yet a 2009 commission record still mentioned ongoing 'Poly 1 ...
