SAN BRUNO, Calif. —  The section of gas pipeline that ruptured and exploded in a suburban San Francisco neighborhood, killing four and injuring nearly 60 others, was ranked high-risk because it ran through a highly populated area, state and federal authorities said Saturday.

One of the victims killed in the inferno Thursday worked for the commission reviewing Pacific Gas & Electric’s investment plans to upgrade its natural gas lines, including another risky section of the same pipeline within miles of her home, a colleague confirmed.

Longtime California Public Utilities Commission analyst Jacqueline Greig and her 13-year-old daughter Janessa died in the massive blast, which left a crater near their house and laid waste to dozens of 1960s-era homes in the hills overlooking San Francisco Bay.

Jessica Morales, 20, also died in the explosion and fire. One other victim found earlier hasn’t been identified, and authorities were trying to identify remains found Saturday morning.

Five people were still missing from the blast, San Bruno Police Chief Neil Telford said Saturday afternoon.

Greig spent part of the summer evaluating PG&E’s expansion plans and investment proposals to replace out-of-date pipes, as part of the utility’s overall bid to raise consumers’ rates, co-worker Pearlie Sabino said.

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Sabino and Greig were members of a small commission team that advocates for consumer and environmental protections pertaining to natural gas.

Among the paperwork PG&E submitted for hearings with regulators was a document ranking a section of the same gas line about 2 miles from the blast as within “the top 100 highest risk line sections” in the utility’s entire service territory, documents show.

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration classified the 30-inch diameter transmission line, which ran for about a mile and a half near Greig’s home, as a “high consequence area” requiring more stringent inspections called integrity assessments, agency spokeswoman Julia Valentine said. Nationwide, only about 7 percent of gas lines have that classification, she said.

The state commission gave that section of pipe the same classification and had conducted audits on that stretch, spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said. PG&E also had conducted leak surveys, evaluations and patrols on the gas line, she said.

Saturday, Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, who is serving as acting governor while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger travels in Asia, directed the commission to perform integrity assessments of all pipeline segments located in the affected area.
Residents of roughly 270 homes that have been off-limits after the blaze will be allowed to return for good starting around noon today, San Bruno City Manager Connie Jackson said.


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