Proper Pipe Inc. joined CABA in April and recently had an editorial featured in Commonwealth Magazine. This could not come at a better time. As the House plans to vote on the omnibus energy bill this week, Representatives are preparing to add amendments about natural gas leaks. Here’s a quick snippet:

Gas leaks pose both damaging environmental and safety hazards and detrimental economic impact on our local business community. Massachusetts has one of the oldest gas pipeline systems in the country. Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) has created a map highlighting nearly 20,000 potentially dangerous gas leaks. The aging pipes, made of cast iron or unprotected steel, have a higher tendency to leak harmful methane gas into the atmosphere, creating a significant public safety threat. Leaks in natural gas pipelines are not only harmful to human health but can cause disastrous explosions.

Unfortunately, when you leave a gas leak unrepaired, it doesn’t get any better over time. Some leaks in the state have been left unrepaired for as long as 30 years. That’s a lot of lost gas that residents and businesses have to pay for. The cumulative economic impact of these gas leaks is not something to be ignored. A Harvard University-led study calculated the total cost of lost gas to be $90 million per year in the Greater Boston area alone.

Click here to read the full article in Commonwealth Magazine.