Golden Gate celebrates 75th with help of engineers

The Golden Gate Bridge was heralded as an engineering marvel when it opened in 1937. It was the world’s longest suspension span and had been built across a strait that critics said was too treacherous to be bridged. But as the iconic span approaches its 75th anniversary over Memorial Day weekend, the generations of engineers [...]

City of San Francisco sues to force feds to improve pipeline safety

The city of San Francisco took the unusual step Tuesday of asking a judge to force federal natural-gas safety regulators to step up efforts in California, saying the government “abjectly failed” to enforce pipeline laws before and after the 2010 explosion that devastated a San Bruno neighborhood. At issue in City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s lawsuit, filed in [...]

PG&E replacing plastic pipes in Cupertino

A San Francisco  neighborhood is being made safer. PG&E is replacing thousands of feet of dangerous plastic pipeline that carries natural gas. That kind of pipe has a history of failure and it did so recently in the very spot where PG&E is now changing it out. PG&E crews began carving out sections of the [...]

GOP pipeline bill would block pipeline safety reforms

Professionals who work safely, diligently, and follow US government regulations  in the Natural Gas, Oil, Pipeline, Corrosion or Cathodic Protection area of expertise are reminded that Friday, Sept 9, 2011 is the one year anniversary when a catastrophic Natural Gas pipeline disaster occurred in San Bruno, California.   The accident destroyed 38 homes, damaged 70 [...]

VP joins PG&E from firm with more pipeline leaks

The man Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has hired to fix its natural gas operations after the San Bruno explosion comes from a company that routinely suffers far more pipeline leaks than does PG&E. Nick Stavropoulos, who will join PG&E in June as executive vice president, used to head the U.S. gas operations of National [...]

Corroding Muni tunnels have never been seismically tested

Internal documents show two of the oldest San Francisco Muni tunnels are riven with cracks, leaks and corrosion, but a spokesman said the transit agency has never seismically inspected them — even following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. While San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials say other inspections found the 82-year-old Sunset Tunnel and the [...]