Almost every other day for the past decade, a gas leak has either destroyed property, caused injury, or killed someone in the United States. According to a new investigation by the USA Today network, there's been over $2 billion in damages, over 100 fatalities, and at least 600 injuries since 2004. From the story: "The causes are many and complex, and often outside of the utility company's control, from construction workers hitting a gas pipe while digging to weather. But one nagging concern persists: aging bare-metal gas pipes that are susceptible to rust and corrosion, which can lead to leaks.
A review of federal data shows there are tens of thousands of miles of cast-iron and bare-steel gas mains lurking beneath American cities and towns — despite these pipes being a longtime target of National Transportation Safety Board accident investigators, government regulators and safety advocates.