Report finds dozens of Texas gas leak explosions since ’06

DALLAS— More than two dozen homes in north and central Texas have blown up since 2006 along a network of pipelines operated by one of the largest natural gas companies in the U.S, leading to nine deaths and badly injuring at least 22 other people, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Atmos Energy Corp. has some of the nation’s oldest pipes in the country and that the company’s largest division, Atmos Mid-tex, has received five times as many state safety violations as Houston’s Centerpoint, the other large gas distribution company in Texas.

Atmos Energy has reported

$3.3 billion in profits since 2005.

The newspaper reported that the company would not discuss individual accidents but said it was not at fault.

Atmos Energy said safety violations are only alleged and that any problems cited by state regulators are fixed. It also noted that the number of citations peaked in 2013 and has markedly declined since then, which the company says reflects its emphasis on safety.

“Since 2005, we have been pouring profits back into the system,” says Elizabeth Beauchamp, an Atmos spokeswoman.

In a statement, Atmos Energy said its employees “wake up every day resolutely dedicated to our mission to keep people safe.”

A pipeline safety expert said

Atmos Energy’s track record should worry Texas residents.

The many accidents and state safety citations over the years “suggest Atmos really needs to up its game in terms of creating a safety culture,” said Rebecca Craven, program director for the Pipeline Safety Trust, a national nonprofit group.

Records show Atmos Energy seldom accepts responsibility for explosions, the newspaper reported.