ST. PAUL, MN – Governor Mark Dayton today authorized five Minnesota pipeline safety inspectors to assist in the restoration of gas services in Merrimack County, Massachusetts, in response to a natural gas line incident that caused a series of explosions in September. Over 80 individual fires destroyed property, forced the evacuation of over 30,000 Massachusetts residents, and left approximately 10,000 households without heat and hot water. Governor Dayton approved this request for assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), to provide aid in finishing service restoration for communities impacted by the incident.

 

The five Minnesotans authorized to assist in Massachusetts’ recovery efforts are Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Qualified Pipeline Safety Inspectors from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Pipeline Safety. Each will travel to Merrimack County for one-week deployments beginning on October 21, 2018 and concluding on November 17, 2018.

 

The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) is a mutual aid agreement between all 50 states. Under the Compact, a state in need of emergency assistance may request resources (people, equipment, etc.) from other states based on their needs. Agencies in other states with available resources are able to respond to a request, but there is no obligation to participate. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division coordinates the state’s EMAC requests. To learn more about the EMAC process, CLICK HERE.

 

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