AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Public Utilities Commission has fined Summit Natural Gas for safety violations in its natural gas distribution network.
The PUC and Summit agreed to penalties of $307,000 to settle six cases where commission staff alleged there were safety violations ranging from workers not properly trained to improper welds and pipeline connections.
“This is a very significant fine or penalty for Summit," says Commissioner Bruce Williamson, "but quite proportional to the importance we attach to gas pipeline safety in Maine.”
"Safety is the foundation of Summit’s approach to providing natural gas service," Summit CEO Kurt Adams says in an emailed statement. "Since coming on as CEO of the company in 2015, we have worked hard to strengthen our pipeline safety standards in an effort to ensure the integrity of our system. With our new standards in place, we are eager to move forward focused on our goal of providing safe, reliable and clean-burning natural gas to people and businesses in Maine."
Commission Chair Mark Vannoy says the violations were in the 2013 and 2014 construction seasons and that Summit appears to have made considerable improvements in its operations. All three commissioners supported the fines.
