LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on the explosion and fire from a 30-inch natural gas pipeline near Danville, Kentucky.
In the report released on Wednesday, the agency said a "manufacturing defect" and "ineffective cathodic protection" led to the pipeline rupture.
The August 2019 accident killed one person and destroyed five nearby homes in Lincoln County. Fourteen homes were damaged and 30 acres of land was burnt in a fire.
Enbridge owned and operated the pipeline. The NTSB said the explosion happened because of a "pre-existing manufacturing defect — known as a hard spot."
The agency said that, along with degraded coating, led to cracking in the pipeline causing the explosion.
Cathodic protection prevents corrosion where the coating has been damaged, according to the agency.
The NTSB said Enbridge "underestimated the risk posed by hard spots" and that its integrity management program did not accurately assess the pipeline condition or estimate risk, contributing to the accident.
In an emailed statement to the Associated Press, Enbridge spokesman Michael Barnes said the company was “deeply sorry for the impact to the community and to the family who lost a loved one." He called the findings “a stark reminder" of the importance of safely maintaining and operating the company's pipelines.
The NTSB issued safety recommendations to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Enbridge Inc. The safety recommendations address topics including incomplete evaluation of risks, incomplete assessment of threats and missed training opportunities.
Barnes said in the statement that the company takes the NTSB recommendations “very seriously" and has “worked diligently to understand the contributing factors to this incident and (has) made tremendous strides to change our procedures, processes and conducted extensive inspections in an effort to make our pipes safer than ever."
Enbridge pipelines carry about one-quarter of the crude oil produced in North America and one-fifth of the natural gas used in the U.S. Several of its pipelines have been the subjects of lengthy legal and political fights and two of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history.
Victims of the explosion sued the operator in July 2020, alleging it failed to maintain and repair the line prior to the explosion.
To read the NTSB's full report, click here.
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Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
