Xcel Energy and Quanta Services Sued for Gas Explosion in St. Paul
St. Paul local, Trista Meehan filed suit against Xcel Energy and Quanta Services for negligent installation of her gas line.

June 29, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- St. Paul local, Trista Meehan filed suit today against Xcel Energy and Quanta Services for negligent installation of her gas line. Ms. Meehan was injured when her home and most all of her belongings were destroyed in a gas explosion on February 1, 2010. Experts have stated that the explosion was triggered by Xcel and Quanta's improper installation of the gas lines. Danger still exists for St. Paul residents due to similar defective gas lines that still remain in the city.

Meehan, represented by attorney Stuart Goldenberg of Goldenberg & Johnson, P.L.L.c., filed suit today against Xcel Energy and Quanta Services after her St. Paul home exploded on February 1, 2010. Meehan was injured while her home burned to the ground with all her personal belongings and life's work inside. Unknown to Meehan, in years prior to the explosion, Xcel Energy and Quanta Services launched a joint venture called the "Quanta Project."

The Quanta Project was a collective effort in the early 1990s to relocate Xcel's natural gas lines in and around the St. Paul metro area using a technique called "blind boring." This technique required no digging, visual aids, or exposure of current underlying sewage lines, but it posed a serious risk of drilling into an existing sewer line. Instead of identifying all current sewer lines before installing its new gas lines, Xcel and Quanta Services installed the gas pipelines with full knowledge of the high chance of crossing paths with the local sewer lines. This danger is known in the industry as a "cross bore."

Prior to the Meehan explosion in February of 2010, Xcel and Quanta were aware of 150 documented "cross bores" where their gas lines had been installed through sewer lines. There were 6 punctured existing gas lines; three of them resulted' in explosions, causing significant damages to the residents and their property.

Despite the companies' knowledge of this danger and the adequate technology to inspect the defective gas lines, Xcel and Quanta did little to correct the problem. Instead, they reassured the public that their natural gas system installations were safe.

On February 1, 2010, Meehan called a plumber to unclog a sewage pipe in her home. Meehan was unaware that her gas line had been installed with a cross bore through the sewer pipe. While working on the blockage in Meehan's sewage line, the plumber's tool penetrated the gas pipe resulting in a massive explosion and fire; both Meehan and the plumber were inside.

Meehan and the plumber survived in the disaster; however, there are still thousands of lives at risk because Xcel has not properly warned residents or fixed the cross bore problem. Xcel has stated that it will take years to inspect and fix each property.

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