Pa. lawmakers call for aging gas line replacement

Pa. lawmakers call for aging gas line replacement

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Two Pennsylvania lawmakers are asking the Public Utility Commission to order a gas utility to speed replacement of aging cast-iron lines blamed for a massive explosion that killed five people last year.

State Sens. Pat Browne and Lisa Boscola want the PUC to order UGI Corp. to speed up replacement of cast-iron and bare steel gas lines or set its own schedule that UGI must follow.

The Morning Call of Allentown reports the PUC released an audit Thursday saying UGI has taken a “passive approach” to replacement.

The utility says its plans call for cast-iron pipes to be replaced over the next 20 years and bare steel over 30 years.

A cracked pipe is suspected of causing the fatal Feb. 2011 explosion that leveled part of an Allentown neighborhood.