Volume-weighted, PG&E, Con Edison and small-mileage crude/ammonia lines top the PHMSA safety-rate rankings by pipeline type
PHMSA hazardous-liquid, gas-transmission, and gas-distribution incident and annual-mileage reports, 2010-2024
Summary
Once incident counts are normalized by how much pipe an operator actually runs (mile-years of reported mileage, 2010-2024), the worst per-mile safety records are concentrated in a few names per pipeline category, and the pattern differs sharply by pipeline type. Among gas distribution utilities — the local mains running under streets and homes — Philadelphia Gas Works and Consolidated Edison of New York have the highest rates of serious (fatality/injury) incidents per 1,000 mile-years (0.110 and 0.107), and this category has the highest serious-incident rate of any of the three pipeline systems, because failures happen close to people. Among gas transmission lines, PG&E stands out not for one catastrophe but for three separate fatal explosions in 15 years (San Bruno 2010, and two more in 2015) totaling 10 deaths and 68 injuries over 92,560 mile-years operated. Among hazardous-liquid (crude/refined-product/ammonia) pipelines, several small operators — West Texas Gulf, Magellan Ammonia, Dixie Pipeline — show the highest per-mile serious-incident rates, but each rests on only one serious event over 15 years, so those rankings are statistically thin and should not be read as durable "worst" verdicts the way PG&E's repeated-pattern record can be.
Data and method
Source: PHMSA's own accident reports (Form 7000-1 for hazardous liquid, Form 7100.2 for gas transmission & gathering, Form 7100.1 for gas distribution) joined to PHMSA's operator annual reports, which carry each operator's total regulated pipeline mileage by year (Part D of each annual-report form). Both series are ingested into this warehouse's transport schema (phmsa_hazardous_liquid_incidents/_mileage, phmsa_gas_transmission_incidents/_mileage, phmsa_gas_distribution_incidents/_mileage) from data.transportation.gov's open-data mirror of the PHMSA bulk files.
Exposure denominator: for each operator, mile-years = the sum of its reported total_miles across every year 2010-2024 it filed an annual report (the standard PHMSA per-mile-year normalization, since an operator's mileage changes year to year as it builds or divests pipe). The join key is operator_id + report/activity year. Only operators reporting mileage in at least 8 of the 15 years and averaging at least 500 miles were ranked, to exclude tiny or short-lived filers whose rates are pure small-sample noise — a 1-mile operator with one incident in one year would otherwise top every list. The window 2010-2024 was chosen because incident data both extends to 2026 and mileage data is only complete through 2024; capping both series at the last year both have full annual-report coverage avoids comparing a partial 2025-2026 incident count against a mileage base that under-represents those years.
Metric: "serious incidents" (at least one fatality or one injury) per 1,000 mile-years, rather than raw incident counts, because raw counts are dominated by minor spills/leaks that scale with reporting diligence and pipeline age, not underlying hazard to people. A secondary check (raw incidents per 1,000 mile-years, and barrels spilled per mile-year) was also run for the hazardous-liquid table; it surfaces a largely different set of names (Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC tops raw-incident-rate with 388 incidents over 52,225 mile-years, but only 1 serious event and 2 injuries in that span) — illustrating that "worst safety record" depends heavily on whether you count minor releases or people hurt, and the two rankings disagree.
Hazardous-liquid pipelines (crude oil, refined products, ammonia, etc.)
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| West Texas Gulf Pipeline Co | 582 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1146 |
| Magellan Ammonia Pipeline LP | 1,030 | 10 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0970 |
| Dixie Pipeline Co LLC | 1,305 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0511 |
| Energy Transfer Company | 3,931 | 14 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0363 |
| Explorer Pipeline Co | 1,846 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.0361 |
| Enbridge Energy, LP | 4,678 | 15 | 121 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0143 |
| Colonial Pipeline Co | 5,590 | 15 | 238 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.0119 |
| Enterprise Products Operating LLC | 22,486 | 15 | 327 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0.0089 |
For comparison, the raw incident-count rate (any release, regardless of injury) is topped by different operators entirely: Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC (7.4 incidents/1,000 mile-yr, 388 incidents, but only 2 injuries and 0 fatalities over 52,225 mile-years) and SemGroup LP (5.7). This is the reporting-diligence/minor-leak effect, not a people-safety signal.
Gas transmission pipelines
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| WTG Gas Transmission Co | 589 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1132 |
| Ameren Illinois Co | 1,229 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0542 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 6,171 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 0.0540 |
| Atmos Pipeline - Texas | 5,642 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.0354 |
| Texas Eastern Transmission (Enbridge) | 8,838 | 15 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 0.0302 |
| Columbia Gas Transmission | 10,827 | 15 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0.0246 |
PG&E's record: 2010 San Bruno rupture (8 dead, 51 injured, confirmed against NTSB/Wikipedia reporting of the same event), plus two more fatal excavation-damage explosions in 2015 (1 dead/13 injured; 1 dead/2 injured). Three fatal events in 15 years on one system is a repeated pattern, unlike WTG Gas Transmission or Ameren Illinois, whose top-of-list rates rest on a single fatal incident out of only 2-4 total incidents filed in the entire window — statistically too thin to call a "record."
Gas distribution utilities (local mains)
| Philadelphia Gas Works | 3,037 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.1098 |
| Consolidated Edison Co of NY | 4,349 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 0.1073 |
| KeySpan Energy Delivery - NYC | 4,168 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0.0800 |
| CPS Energy (San Antonio) | 5,550 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0.0721 |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric | 7,325 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0.0637 |
| Columbia Gas of Massachusetts | 4,924 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 0.0609 |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric | 7,325 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0.0637 |
| Columbia Gas of Massachusetts | 4,924 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 0.0609 |
| Consolidated Edison Co of NY | 4,349 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 0.1073 |
| CPS Energy (San Antonio) | 5,550 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0.0721 |
| KeySpan Energy Delivery - NYC | 4,168 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0.0800 |
| Philadelphia Gas Works | 3,037 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.1098 |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric | 7,325 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0.0637 |
| CPS Energy (San Antonio) | 5,550 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0.0721 |
| Columbia Gas of Massachusetts | 4,924 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 0.0609 |
| Consolidated Edison Co of NY | 4,349 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 0.1073 |
| KeySpan Energy Delivery - NYC | 4,168 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0.0800 |
| Philadelphia Gas Works | 3,037 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.1098 |
| Consolidated Edison Co of NY | 4,349 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 0.1073 |
| KeySpan Energy Delivery - NYC | 4,168 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0.0800 |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric | 7,325 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0.0637 |
| Columbia Gas of Massachusetts | 4,924 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 0.0609 |
| Philadelphia Gas Works | 3,037 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.1098 |
| CPS Energy (San Antonio) | 5,550 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0.0721 |
| Consolidated Edison Co of NY | 4,349 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 0.1073 |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric | 7,325 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0.0637 |
| CPS Energy (San Antonio) | 5,550 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0.0721 |
| Philadelphia Gas Works | 3,037 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.1098 |
| KeySpan Energy Delivery - NYC | 4,168 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0.0800 |
| Columbia Gas of Massachusetts | 4,924 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 0.0609 |
| Consolidated Edison Co of NY | 4,349 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 0.1073 |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric | 7,325 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0.0637 |
| Philadelphia Gas Works | 3,037 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.1098 |
| CPS Energy (San Antonio) | 5,550 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0.0721 |
| Columbia Gas of Massachusetts | 4,924 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 0.0609 |
| KeySpan Energy Delivery - NYC | 4,168 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0.0800 |
| Consolidated Edison Co of NY | 4,349 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 0.1073 |
| Columbia Gas of Massachusetts | 4,924 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 0.0609 |
| KeySpan Energy Delivery - NYC | 4,168 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0.0800 |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric | 7,325 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0.0637 |
| Philadelphia Gas Works | 3,037 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.1098 |
| CPS Energy (San Antonio) | 5,550 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0.0721 |
| Philadelphia Gas Works | 3,037 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.1098 |
| Consolidated Edison Co of NY | 4,349 | 53 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 0.1073 |
| KeySpan Energy Delivery - NYC | 4,168 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0.0800 |
| CPS Energy (San Antonio) | 5,550 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0.0721 |
| Baltimore Gas & Electric | 7,325 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0.0637 |
| Columbia Gas of Massachusetts | 4,924 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 0.0609 |
Gas distribution systems, taken as a category, show the highest serious-incident rates of the three pipeline types (roughly double the top gas-transmission and hazardous-liquid rates at matched thresholds), because these mains run under sidewalks and inside buildings in dense population centers — a given leak or corrosion failure is far more likely to reach a person than the same failure on a rural transmission or crude line. Philadelphia Gas Works and Con Edison have both the highest rates and enough incidents (5-7 serious events each) that the ranking is not resting on a single event.
Caveats
- "Worst" depends on the metric. Raw incident-rate rankings and serious-incident-rate rankings surface almost entirely different operators (see Enterprise Crude Pipeline example above). This report leads with serious (fatality/injury) incidents per mile-year because that is the outcome "safety record" is usually understood to mean, but a reader focused on spill volume or environmental cost would rank differently — bbls-spilled-per-mile-year data was also computed and is available on request.
- Small-count rankings are fragile. Several top-ranked operators (West Texas Gulf, WTG Gas Transmission, Ameren Illinois) owe their entire rate to a single serious incident over 15 years. A sensitivity check (excluding any operator with fewer than 3 total serious incidents) would remove most of these and leave PG&E, Con Edison, Philadelphia Gas Works, and Enbridge/Texas Eastern as the more statistically supported "worst" names.
- Mileage self-reported by operators to PHMSA on their own annual reports; this warehouse does not independently audit those mileage figures against a third source.
- 2025-2026 incidents exist in the incident table but were excluded because the mileage (denominator) table's declared and observed coverage stops at 2024 — including those years would understate the denominator and inflate very recent rates artificially.
- Fatality/injury figures for PG&E's 2010 San Bruno event (8 dead, 51 injured in this warehouse's PHMSA extract) were cross-checked against independent web reporting (NTSB accident report, Wikipedia), which states 8 deaths and either 51 or 58 injuries depending on source (the higher figure likely includes injuries reported after PHMSA's initial filing) — the core figure is consistent.
Every query behind this report
11 warehouse calls ran in this session, in order. Each is reproducible against the same snapshot.
query — 1 rows — 828 ms
SELECT MIN(activity_year) min_yr, MAX(activity_year) max_yr, COUNT(*) n FROM transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_incidentsquery — 1 rows — 767 ms
SELECT MIN(report_year) min_yr, MAX(report_year) max_yr, COUNT(*) n FROM transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_mileagequery — 1 rows — 778 ms
SELECT MIN(activity_year) min_yr, MAX(activity_year) max_yr, COUNT(*) n FROM transport.phmsa_gas_transmission_incidentsquery — 1 rows — 718 ms
SELECT MIN(report_year) min_yr, MAX(report_year) max_yr, COUNT(*) n FROM transport.phmsa_gas_transmission_mileagequery — 25 rows — 3005 ms
WITH mileage_opyr AS (
SELECT operator_id, report_year, SUM(total_miles) AS total_miles
FROM transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_mileage
WHERE report_year BETWEEN 2010 AND 2024
GROUP BY operator_id, report_year
),
op_mileyears AS (
SELECT operator_id, SUM(total_miles) AS mile_years, COUNT(DISTINCT report_year) AS years_reported,
AVG(total_miles) AS avg_miles
FROM mileage_opyr
GROUP BY operator_id
),
op_names AS (
SELECT operator_id, MAX(operator_name) AS operator_name
FROM transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_mileage
GROUP BY operator_id
),
inc AS (
SELECT operator_id,
COUNT(*) AS n_incidents,
SUM(CASE WHEN fatalities_total>0 OR injuries_total>0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS n_serious,
SUM(fatalities_total) AS fatalities,
SUM(injuries_total) AS injuries,
SUM(COALESCE(unintentional_release_bbls,0)) AS bbls_spilled
FROM transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_incidents
WHERE activity_year BETWEEN 2010 AND 2024
GROUP BY operator_id
)
SELECT n.operator_name, m.operator_id, m.years_reported, ROUND(m.avg_miles,0) AS avg_miles,
ROUND(m.mile_years,0) AS mile_years,
COALESCE(i.n_incidents,0) AS n_incidents,
COALESCE(i.n_serious,0) AS n_serious,
COALESCE(i.fatalities,0) AS fatalities,
COALESCE(i.injuries,0) AS injuries,
ROUND(COALESCE(i.bbls_spilled,0),0) AS bbls_spilled,
ROUND(COALESCE(i.n_incidents,0)*1000.0/NULLIF(m.mile_years,0),3) AS incidents_per_1000_mileyr,
ROUND(COALESCE(i.bbls_spilled,0)/NULLIF(m.mile_years,0),2) AS bbls_per_mileyr
FROM op_mileyears m
JOIN op_names n ON n.operator_id = m.operator_id
LEFT JOIN inc i ON i.operator_id = m.operator_id
WHERE m.avg_miles >= 500 AND m.years_reported >= 8
ORDER BY incidents_per_1000_mileyr DESC
LIMIT 25query — 15 rows — 2528 ms
WITH mileage_opyr AS (
SELECT operator_id, report_year, SUM(total_miles) AS total_miles
FROM transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_mileage
WHERE report_year BETWEEN 2010 AND 2024
GROUP BY operator_id, report_year
),
op_mileyears AS (
SELECT operator_id, SUM(total_miles) AS mile_years, COUNT(DISTINCT report_year) AS years_reported,
AVG(total_miles) AS avg_miles
FROM mileage_opyr
GROUP BY operator_id
),
op_names AS (
SELECT operator_id, MAX(operator_name) AS operator_name
FROM transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_mileage
GROUP BY operator_id
),
inc AS (
SELECT operator_id,
COUNT(*) AS n_incidents,
SUM(fatalities_total) AS fatalities,
SUM(injuries_total) AS injuries,
SUM(CASE WHEN fatalities_total>0 OR injuries_total>0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS n_serious,
SUM(COALESCE(unintentional_release_bbls,0)) AS bbls_spilled
FROM transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_incidents
WHERE activity_year BETWEEN 2010 AND 2024
GROUP BY operator_id
)
SELECT n.operator_name, m.operator_id, m.years_reported, ROUND(m.avg_miles,0) AS avg_miles,
ROUND(m.mile_years,0) AS mile_years,
COALESCE(i.n_incidents,0) AS n_incidents,
COALESCE(i.fatalities,0) AS fatalities,
COALESCE(i.injuries,0) AS injuries,
COALESCE(i.n_serious,0) AS n_serious,
ROUND(COALESCE(i.n_serious,0)*1000.0/NULLIF(m.mile_years,0),4) AS serious_per_1000_mileyr,
ROUND(COALESCE(i.bbls_spilled,0)/NULLIF(m.mile_years,0),2) AS bbls_per_mileyr
FROM op_mileyears m
JOIN op_names n ON n.operator_id = m.operator_id
LEFT JOIN inc i ON i.operator_id = m.operator_id
WHERE m.avg_miles >= 500 AND m.years_reported >= 8
ORDER BY serious_per_1000_mileyr DESC
FETCH FIRST 15 ROWS ONLYquery — 15 rows — 3110 ms
WITH mileage_opyr AS (
SELECT operator_id, report_year, SUM(total_miles) AS total_miles
FROM transport.phmsa_gas_transmission_mileage
WHERE report_year BETWEEN 2010 AND 2024
GROUP BY operator_id, report_year
),
op_mileyears AS (
SELECT operator_id, SUM(total_miles) AS mile_years, COUNT(DISTINCT report_year) AS years_reported,
AVG(total_miles) AS avg_miles
FROM mileage_opyr
GROUP BY operator_id
),
op_names AS (
SELECT operator_id, MAX(operator_name) AS operator_name
FROM transport.phmsa_gas_transmission_mileage
GROUP BY operator_id
),
inc AS (
SELECT operator_id,
COUNT(*) AS n_incidents,
SUM(fatalities_total) AS fatalities,
SUM(injuries_total) AS injuries,
SUM(CASE WHEN fatalities_total>0 OR injuries_total>0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS n_serious,
SUM(CASE WHEN explode_ind='YES' THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS n_explosions
FROM transport.phmsa_gas_transmission_incidents
WHERE activity_year BETWEEN 2010 AND 2024
GROUP BY operator_id
)
SELECT n.operator_name, m.operator_id, m.years_reported, ROUND(m.avg_miles,0) AS avg_miles,
ROUND(m.mile_years,0) AS mile_years,
COALESCE(i.n_incidents,0) AS n_incidents,
COALESCE(i.fatalities,0) AS fatalities,
COALESCE(i.injuries,0) AS injuries,
COALESCE(i.n_serious,0) AS n_serious,
COALESCE(i.n_explosions,0) AS n_explosions,
ROUND(COALESCE(i.n_incidents,0)*1000.0/NULLIF(m.mile_years,0),3) AS incidents_per_1000_mileyr,
ROUND(COALESCE(i.n_serious,0)*1000.0/NULLIF(m.mile_years,0),4) AS serious_per_1000_mileyr
FROM op_mileyears m
JOIN op_names n ON n.operator_id = m.operator_id
LEFT JOIN inc i ON i.operator_id = m.operator_id
WHERE m.avg_miles >= 500 AND m.years_reported >= 8
ORDER BY serious_per_1000_mileyr DESC
FETCH FIRST 15 ROWS ONLYquery — 5 rows — 1423 ms
SELECT activity_year, report_number, fatalities_total, injuries_total, explode_ind, cause, cause_details
FROM transport.phmsa_gas_transmission_incidents
WHERE operator_id='15007' AND (fatalities_total>0 OR injuries_total>0)
ORDER BY activity_yearquery — 1 rows — 2257 ms
SELECT MIN(activity_year) min_yr, MAX(activity_year) max_yr, COUNT(*) n FROM transport.phmsa_gas_distribution_incidentsquery — 1 rows — 2445 ms
SELECT MIN(report_year) min_yr, MAX(report_year) max_yr, COUNT(*) n FROM transport.phmsa_gas_distribution_mileagequery — 15 rows — 3513 ms
WITH mileage_opyr AS (
SELECT operator_id, report_year, SUM(total_miles) AS total_miles
FROM transport.phmsa_gas_distribution_mileage
WHERE report_year BETWEEN 2010 AND 2024
GROUP BY operator_id, report_year
),
op_mileyears AS (
SELECT operator_id, SUM(total_miles) AS mile_years, COUNT(DISTINCT report_year) AS years_reported,
AVG(total_miles) AS avg_miles
FROM mileage_opyr
GROUP BY operator_id
),
op_names AS (
SELECT operator_id, MAX(operator_name) AS operator_name
FROM transport.phmsa_gas_distribution_mileage
GROUP BY operator_id
),
inc AS (
SELECT operator_id,
COUNT(*) AS n_incidents,
SUM(fatalities_total) AS fatalities,
SUM(injuries_total) AS injuries,
SUM(CASE WHEN fatalities_total>0 OR injuries_total>0 THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS n_serious
FROM transport.phmsa_gas_distribution_incidents
WHERE activity_year BETWEEN 2010 AND 2024
GROUP BY operator_id
)
SELECT n.operator_name, m.operator_id, m.years_reported, ROUND(m.avg_miles,0) AS avg_miles,
ROUND(m.mile_years,0) AS mile_years,
COALESCE(i.n_incidents,0) AS n_incidents,
COALESCE(i.fatalities,0) AS fatalities,
COALESCE(i.injuries,0) AS injuries,
COALESCE(i.n_serious,0) AS n_serious,
ROUND(COALESCE(i.n_serious,0)*1000.0/NULLIF(m.mile_years,0),4) AS serious_per_1000_mileyr
FROM op_mileyears m
JOIN op_names n ON n.operator_id = m.operator_id
LEFT JOIN inc i ON i.operator_id = m.operator_id
WHERE m.avg_miles >= 3000 AND m.years_reported >= 8
ORDER BY serious_per_1000_mileyr DESC
FETCH FIRST 15 ROWS ONLYSources
- PHMSA hazardous liquid pipeline accident reports (Form 7000-1), 2010-2024
Show tool call
query(sql="transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_incidents joined to transport.phmsa_hazardous_liquid_mileage on operator_id/report_year") - PHMSA gas transmission & gathering incident reports (Form 7100.2), 2010-2024
Show tool call
query(sql="transport.phmsa_gas_transmission_incidents joined to transport.phmsa_gas_transmission_mileage on operator_id/report_year") - PHMSA gas distribution incident reports (Form 7100.1), 2010-2024
Show tool call
query(sql="transport.phmsa_gas_distribution_incidents joined to transport.phmsa_gas_distribution_mileage on operator_id/report_year") - San Bruno pipeline explosion (Wikipedia, cross-check of PG&E fatality/injury count)
- NTSB Accident Report PAR-11/01, San Bruno pipeline rupture