May 31, 2008
ConEd Sues City for Steampipe Explosion
Figuring that the best legal defense is to be offensive, ConEd is suing NYC for the 2007 midtown Manhattan steam pipe explosion that killed one woman and horribly burned two other people. Dozens more were injured in the blast that made 41st and Lexington Ave. look like an erupting volcano, as a plume of steam shot high into the air.
ConEd is on the receiving end of dozens of lawsuits related to the explosion, many from businesses that were financially affected, as the blocks around the blast site were a no-go zone for about a week while people labored around the clock to repair the steam pipe and clean up debris. Now ConEd is getting in on the action by suing NYC, and in effect its taxpayers for improperly maintaining the 83-year-old pipe.
Although state utility regulators found that ConEd was doing an insufficient job in maintaining its underground steam delivery infrastructure, ConEd maintains that a contractor hired by the City was responsible for injecting a sealant into the system that led to the pipe's explosion.
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Look out for gas explosions next on 7th avenue. I just don't have enough time in my day to call 911 every time I smell gas there. And I do, plenty. I had to spent 20 minutes dealing with 311 then 911 (who expected me to stay put and wait for them to arrive -- as if I didn't have a job to go to), when I called to say that for the third time I smelled gas as I crossed the street on 38th and 7th avenue. When you smell gas on a busy thoroughfare like that, there must be a pretty big leak.
Next day there were tents over two spots at the intersection, apparently with fans sucking the air (with gas fumes) out of the ground, with "no smoking" signs on their side. That seems to be how they deal with gas leaks!
I was glad I said something, but then a few days later I smelled gas crossing 36th street on 7th avenue. And then again the day after. What am I? Con Ed's official gas sniffing dog? If I were to spend all my time calling Con Ed every time I smelled gas on the street, they'd have to hire me as a permanent employee.
I forgot to say I made a call about the gas smell coming from the corner of 138th and Broadway, too, by the MacDonald's. They also dug stuff up there within days. So I'm not imagining it -- I AM smelling as leaks all over the city. There must be some old gas pipes along Broadway.
Do me a favor, people, and start calling Con Ed when you smell gas outside so it doesn't have to always be me!
Saul Rosenberg: “Sue everybody.”