The recent gas pipeline explosion tragedy in Massachusetts has brought attention to the 2.4 million miles of gas and other pipelines in the US. Although Texas accounted for more than a quarter of all pipeline safety incidents reported in 2010–2016, every state has pipelines and there’s a good chance a pipeline is not far from where you live. Unfortunately, limited budgets and regulatory capture mean that some state regulatory agencies are not doing their job as well as they should, and the pipeline industry could be doing much more to prevent pipeline accidents.
The Pipeline Safety Trust is a good source for credible independent information about pipeline safety. In December they rated each state regulatory agency’s pipeline safety website for transparency about inspection records, incident data, and so forth. Massachusetts got a failing grade. If your state failed too, now would be a good time to ask your representative why.
On a more personal level, to find whether you live near a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline you can visit the Department of Transportation’s National Pipeline Mapping System and use its public map viewer. A hazardous pipeline is probably closer than you think.