WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Federal regulators cited Pacific Gas and Electric Tuesday for a lax approach to safety leading up to last year's deadly pipeline blast in San Bruno, Calif.
The National Transportation Safety Board also laid part of the blame on oversight agencies that failed to take a more proactive role in preventing the disaster.
"Our investigation revealed that for years, PG&E exploited weaknesses in a lax system of oversight," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said in a written statement. "We also identified regulators that placed a blind trust in the companies that they were charged with overseeing to the detriment of public safety."
Defective welds and poor materials were cited as the primary cause of the explosion of the 30-inch natural gas line, which destroyed 38 homes and caused eight deaths and several injuries on Sept. 9, 2010.
The NTSB said decisions by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the California Public Utilities Commission allowed older pipes like to one in San Bruno be exempt from the stricter inspections required for newer pipes.
"For government to do its job it cannot trust alone. It must verify through effective oversight," Hersman said.
PG&E President Chris Johns issued a written statement saying the NTSB report would assist the company in updating its safety plans, the San Francisco Chronicle said.
