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[Federal Register: June 4, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 107)]
[Notices]               
[Page 31760-31761]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04jn10-38]                         

CHEMICAL SAFETY AND HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD

 
Sunshine Act Meeting

    In connection with its investigation into the natural gas explosion 
that occurred at the Kleen Energy power plant in Middletown, 
Connecticut, the United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation 
Board (CSB) announces that it will hold a public meeting on June 28, 
2010, in Connecticut. The purpose of the meeting is to consider urgent 
safety recommendations to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration (OSHA); the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 
the American Gas Association (AGA); the International Code Council 
(ICC) and the Chair of the International Fuel Gas Code Committee; the 
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); and other parties that 
result from the CSB investigation of this accident.
    The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Prince Edward Ballroom, 
Saint Clements Castle, 1931 Portland-Cobalt Road, Portland, Connecticut 
06480.
    At the meeting the CSB investigative team will present its 
preliminary findings on the circumstances of the accident to the three 
CSB board members and the public. The Board will then receive testimony 
from a panel of outside experts and other witnesses, who will discuss 
the issues raised by the case. Following a public comment period, the 
Board is expected to consider and vote on the draft safety 
recommendations.
    The meeting is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not 
required, but to assure adequate seating, attendees are encouraged to 
pre-register by e-mailing their names and affiliations to kleen@csb.gov 
by Friday, June 25, 2010.
    On Sunday, February 7, 2010, Kleen Energy, a combined-cycle natural 
gas fueled power plant under construction in Middletown, Connecticut, 
experienced a catastrophic natural gas explosion that caused six deaths 
and at least 50 injuries.
    The accident occurred during the planned cleaning of fuel gas 
piping, part of the commissioning and startup phase of construction. At 
the time of the accident workers were conducting a ``gas blow,'' 
whereby natural gas is forced through the piping at a high velocity and 
pressure in order to remove any debris within the piping. The gas and 
debris were subsequently released directly to atmosphere. At the Kleen 
Energy construction site, workers used natural gas at a pressure of 
approximately 650 pounds per square

[[Page 31761]]

inch gauge (psig) to clean gas pipes. A total of 15 natural gas blows 
were completed intermittently over approximately four hours through a 
number of open pipe ends which were located less than 20 feet off the 
ground.
    Efforts were made to eliminate or control potential ignition 
sources outside the power generation building. However, many ignition 
sources existed inside the building: electrical power to the building 
was on, welders were actively working, and diesel-fueled heaters were 
running.
    Initial calculations by CSB investigators reveal that approximately 
400,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas were released to the 
atmosphere near the building in the final ten minutes before the blast. 
Just over 2 million standard cubic feet of gas were released in total 
over the course of the morning. At approximately 11:15 a.m., the 
released natural gas found an ignition source and exploded.
    The meeting will be videotaped and an official transcript will be 
included in the investigative file. All staff presentations are 
preliminary and are intended solely to allow the Board to consider the 
issues and factors involved in this case in a public forum. No factual 
analyses, conclusions, findings or recommendations of the staff should 
be considered final. Only after the Board has considered and approved 
the urgent recommendations will there be an approved final record.

Christopher W. Warner,
General Counsel.
 [FR Doc. 2010-13588 Filed 6-2-10; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 6350-01-P
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