City council hears independent review of PG&E gas line explosion

A special city council meeting was held Tuesday night at Carmel city hall. The discussion centered around an explosion that happened two months ago.

The blast, which happened while PG&E was working on underground gas lines, leveled a vacant home.

The meeting was an opportunity for council members to ask questions of PG&E as a third party company conducts a report.

City leaders say the issue of how PG&E responded wasn’t addressed and they want the third party to look at in their second draft report.

Any sort of PG&E work is still on hold until the first response questions are answered. The California Public Utilities Commission has also opened an investigation.

“When it comes to public safety we’re looking for assurance from PG&E that when anytime they uncover emergency, emergency responders are notified so we can also respond and assist in the scene,” said Police Chief Mike Calhoun.

PG&E sent Central Coast News this statement Tuesday evening:

“Safety is our primary concern. We worked as quickly as possible to make the situation safe following the incident and we fully embrace Exponent’s recommendations. The most fundamental learning that came out of the Carmel incident is that our gas workers must always take steps to validate that what’s in the ground matches our records. We’ve also improved emergency response capabilities through more training. These enhancements will help ensure the safety our gas system and the communities we serve.” — Monica Tell