The knock at several northwest Dallas doors Wednesday night from Atmos workers warning of yet another gas leak in yet another neighborhood should have come has no surprise.
Despite Atmos’ recent efforts to make the necessary improvements, on a leaking line along streets near Love Field, we now know that same Atmos had been aware of the leaks as early as January.
But we had to wait for a couple of fires and a child to die to get the evacuations and repairs necessary to keep people safe.
This is the Atmos that came up with the boundaries that were supposed to tell us where the dangers of leaks ended.
It’s the same Atmos whose workers last December told some Irving homeowners who’d complained of strong odor of gas that there was no need to evacuate – only to see a house explode just hours later.
For more than a decade, our WFAA investigators have warned of deteriorating natural gas pipelines, even taking our concerns to the Railroad Commission of Texas.
And that may be the real tragedy in all of this.
You see, Atmos is a company concerned about providing natural gas, yes…but also making a profit for its investors.
It’s the Railroad Commission of Texas that is charged with keeping you safe while they do it. But, frankly, for consumers, the way they’ve been doing their job, the word “railroad” in that title seems more like a verb than a noun.
Think about it.
I like natural gas, and we’ve got plenty of it. But the system that brings it to us has got to be safe. And the people charged with keeping it safe have got to be at the top of their game.
With the fires, a little girl gone, and this week more door knocks in the night, you’ve got to wonder just how true that is.
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