The energy bill passed Wednesday by the Massachusetts House includes an amendment that’s intended to speed up repairs of gas leaks around the state.
The amendment requires gas companies to repair all leaks in underground gas lines when road repairs are underway. Representative Lori Ehrlich introduced the amendment.
“And that’s a new requirement," Ehrlich said. "In the past, during road projects as pipes were exposed, the gas companies would refuse to make the repairs while the pipes were open.”
Utilities were previously not required to fix leaks that didn’t pose a risk of explosion, but environmentalists and lawmakers have raised concerns about the leaks’ impact on climate change. The amendment also requires the utilities to study that impact, and fix those leaks within 5 years.
The Northeast Gas Association is against the amendment, and has said Massachusetts utilities are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to replace leak-prone pipes.
The larger energy bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
