Message-ID: <31089750.1075851914661.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 05:10:00 -0800 (PST) From: louis.soldano@enron.com To: dave.schafer@enron.com, michel.nelson@enron.com, drew.fossum@enron.com, bill.cordes@enron.com, steven.harris@enron.com Subject: PCBs -- Barstow Newspaper Cc: larry.campbell@enron.com, rich.jolly@enron.com, david.roensch@enron.com, ray.smith@enron.com, charlie.graham@enron.com, jeffery.fawcett@enron.com, kevin.hyatt@enron.com, lorraine.lindberg@enron.com, susan.scott@enron.com, jw1000mac@yahoo.com, michael.moran@enron.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Bcc: larry.campbell@enron.com, rich.jolly@enron.com, david.roensch@enron.com, ray.smith@enron.com, charlie.graham@enron.com, jeffery.fawcett@enron.com, kevin.hyatt@enron.com, lorraine.lindberg@enron.com, susan.scott@enron.com, jw1000mac@yahoo.com, michael.moran@enron.com X-From: Louis Soldano X-To: Dave Schafer, Michel Nelson, Drew Fossum, Bill Cordes, Steven Harris X-cc: Larry Campbell, Rich Jolly, David Roensch, Ray Smith, Charlie Graham, Jeffery Fawcett, Kevin Hyatt, Lorraine Lindberg, Susan Scott, jw1000mac@yahoo.com, Michael Moran X-bcc: X-Folder: \Larry_Campbell_Nov2001_1\Notes Folders\Pg&e pcbs X-Origin: CAMPBELL-L X-FileName: lcampbe.nsf FYI. ---------------------- Forwarded by Louis Soldano/ET&S/Enron on 03/17/2000 01:07 PM --------------------------- "Anderson, David W (Law)" on 03/17/2000 12:04:56 PM To: "'Louis Soldano'" cc: Subject: PCBs -- Barstow Newspaper Lou -- > FYI. In today's Barstow newspaper. > Dave Anderson 415-973-6659 > ****************************************** > > March 17, 2000 > > Cancer-causing agent found in High Desert gas lines > > HEALTH: PG&E is at work to clean up situation. By TERI FIGUEROA Staff > Writer > > BARSTOW -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is working to eliminate a > potential cancer-causing agent found in High Desert gas lines. > > Because the amount of the chemical compound polychlorinated biphenyls, or > PCBs, is in trace amounts, officials from the Environmental Protection > Agency say no clean-up is required. > > When the PCBs were found in small quantities in the High Desert area in > February, the company immediately began to rectify the problem, Jon > Tremayne, news director for PG&E, said. > > "We've been doing very aggressive testing," Tremayne said. "As we identify > (affected areas), we will continue to propose and install filter > separators." > > The filter separators catch the PCBs so the company can collect the > chemical for disposal. > > Randy Wittorp, spokesperson for the California EPA office, said because > the chemical is contained within the gas lines, it's unlikely there has > been human exposure. > > "What we are talking about here is very low levels, well below EPA > levels," Tremayne said. > > PCB levels detected in the area range from 2 to 22 parts per million, > Tremayne said, with the majority of PCBs in the range of six to 10 parts > per million. > > EPA regulations state the danger levels for PCBs are anything above 50 > parts per million, an EPA official said. > > "PCBs are authorized for use at concentrations of less than 50 PPMs," said > Max Weintraub, PCB coordinator for the EPA in the California region. "The > federal law really starts at 50 PPM. There's no requirement that they > clean it up." > > Tremayne said an EPA study shows PCBs have been known to cause cancer in > laboratory rats. Information from the EPA shows exposure to the chemical > has been associated with cancer, neurological and reproductive effects. > > "You're not going to breath it in, but you will get exposed to it through > skin contact and consumption," Weintraub said. > > The material was detected as far away as 20 miles west of Hinkley and down > into Rabbit Springs meter station. The Helendale regulation station has so > far shown no detectable levels of PCBs, he said. > > PG&E delivers gas to Southwest Gas Co., who in turn serves 100,000 > customers in the High Desert, Southwest Gas spokesman Roger Buehrer said. > > > Buehrer said his company has been testing for PCBs for about six weeks, > and so far have not detected the chemical in their pipe lines. > > "We don't think there is anything to worry about because the levels are so > low," Buehrer said. > > Buehrer said the company will continue PCB testing through next week. > > The PCBs traveling through the gas lines are in small amounts, said Robert > Doss, site remediation principal in the environmental services division of > PG&E. > > "We are not finding them at customer meters," Doss said. "The potential > for them to get to customers is very slim. This was a surprise to us. > We've had decades of clean tests." > > Tremayne said the source of the PCB contamination is coming from > Transwestern Pipeline Co. and said the two companies are working closely > to eliminate the chemical. > > "It's not a finger-pointing game," he said. "Everybody is working together > to get this thing resolved." > > The company has been working to eliminate the problem, said Dave Schafer, > spokesman for Transwestern Pipeline. > > "Our commitment is to get it down to levels that aren't even trace > amounts," Schafer said. > > Tremayne said PG&E officials notified the California Public Utilities > Commission of the PCB detection on Tuesday, and the state attorney > general's office last week. PG&E has also notified officials from the > Southwest Gas Co., the local gas utility supplier who takes the feed from > the PG&E gas line and delivers it to customers. > > Copyright , 1999 Desert Dispatch. All rights reserved. Material from this > site may not be republished without the expressed, written permission of > the Desert Dispatch. > > > >