Andover Mayor Jamie Barthel and Anoka Mayor Erik Skogquist sent a joint letter to CenterPoint Energy raising concerns about the company’s communication during two incidents in late December when a natural gas odor spread through parts of both cities.
Odor complaints were reported Dec. 28 and Dec. 30 in and around 14371 Seventh Ave. NW in Andover. In their letter, the mayors said they were concerned by what they described as a lack of timely updates, clear information and proactive communication from CenterPoint.
Following a Feb. 6 meeting with city officials, CenterPoint told the mayors that a relief valve released gas Dec. 28 at a town border station near Seventh Avenue and Bunker Lake Boulevard. The company said relief valves are designed to vent gas into the atmosphere to prevent overpressurization.
CenterPoint said a regulator issue led to the gas release and that crews adjusted pressure back to normal operating levels. The company also said it dispatched an emergency responder, who determined the gas was venting into the atmosphere and that the situation was handled safely and as quickly as possible.
According to CenterPoint, the regulator was rebuilt soon afterward and was not connected to odor complaints reported Dec. 30.
In their letter, Barthel and Skogquist said both incidents prompted serious public concern and numerous calls to local emergency services and city staff. They said their concerns centered on delays in receiving information about the status, scope and resolution of the incidents, a lack of readily available information to share with residents, and insufficient follow-up after the events.
The mayors asked CenterPoint to provide a written summary of the incidents, including a timeline, cause and response actions, and to review and improve its communication protocols with local governments.
“Our cities value a constructive working relationship with CenterPoint Energy and recognize the importance of your role in providing safe and reliable service,” Barthel and Skogquist wrote. “However, effective communication and transparency are critical components of that relationship, particularly when public health and safety are at issue.”
In an email response, CenterPoint said it received more than 200 calls from local officials, emergency responders and residents on Dec. 30 about an odor resembling natural gas. The company said it investigated each call using leak-detection equipment, including an advanced mobile leak-detection vehicle.
CenterPoint said it did not find a leak that would explain the widespread odor complaints, though crews did identify two small leaks at customer meters that the company said were isolated to customer-owned piping.
The company said it also used other investigative methods and considered whether garbage trucks or leaking oils and grease from large snowplows could have caused the odor. CenterPoint added that it checked its odorization facilities and found nothing unusual.
CenterPoint said it did not detect a significant natural gas leak and that there was no threat to public safety. The company also said it had begun an internal review of its notification and communication processes.