LACEY, Wash. – The Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) staff is recommending a $1 million penalty against Kennewick-based Cascade Natural Gas due to alleged violations of a previous settlement agreement.
According to a UTC release, the penalties were initially suspended on the condition that Cascade implement a plan to validate the maximum allowable operating pressure for all pipelines operating above 60 pounds per square inch gauge. The agreement also required quarterly leak surveys over its transmission pipelines until validation was complete.
In March 2024, UTC staff said Cascade reported a leak in a Skagit County pipeline after a failed pressure test in June 2023. An investigation found that Cascade’s leak surveys were conducted in the wrong location due to GIS mapping errors, allowing the leak to persist, UTC staff added.
Cascade repaired the pipeline and returned it to service in May 2024.
Cascade Natural Gas serves over 222,000 customers in 67 Washington communities, including Kennewick and Yakima, the release said.