How much does PG&E know about its own pipelines? Tough questions over utility's record-keeping

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KTVU) - PG&E faced more questions about the condition of its natural gas pipelines at a hearing in San Francisco today.  A State PUC administrative law judge questioned PG&E about allegations of improper record-keeping.

At the center of this hearing is whether or not PG&E has updated and digitized its vast paper records and do those records truly reflect what's really buried in the ground.

After the San Bruno explosion more than five years ago, pipeline incidents in Carmel, Castro Valley, Milpitas, Morgan Hill and Mountain View, indicate that PG&E still has a long way to go in making sure it knows exactly what it has in the ground.  But PG&E says that is quite the task; they need to convert 12 million paper reports, some many decades old, into useable materials for those who monitor and repair the pipeline system

“12 million paper records; they need to be scanned, the need to be checked, they need to be saved and this is a lot of work that we are going to finish and we're going to finish correctly,” said PG&E spokesman Donald Cutler.

In addition to this process, PG&E says it's integrating its information into sophisticated digital geographic mapping, and network-enabled computers for all service personnel and other emerging technologies.

“The danger here is that the PG&E employees don't know where there's pipe carrying live gas.  When the go out in the field, they may strike a piece of pipe that they don't even know is there,” said Tom Long, who is with the Utility Reform Network.  PG&E spokesman Donald Cutler counters that “any employee can stop any job if they feel that it is unsafe, that goes for anyone working in the field or anyone working in the office.

However, the Mayor of Carmel,  where a gas pipeline incident blew up an unoccupied cottage, says a PG&E whistleblower disagrees: “She testifies to the fact that she made recommendations to improve public safety, to improve their record keeping system, and those recommendations were rejected by senior management citing, among other reasons the cost of putting in place these improvements.”  Federal criminal prosecutors are looking into her claims.  In the meantime, PG&E keeps having indictments while it compiles files.