Unregulated gas gathering pipelines on public lands create risk of pipeline failure, which threatens the safety of campsites on BLM and USFS lands.
On August 19, 2000, a 30-inch-diameter gas transmission pipeline ruptured adjacent to the Pecos River near Carlsbad, NM. The released gas ignited and burned for 55 minutes. Twelve persons who were camping under a concrete-decked steel bridge that supported the pipeline across the river were killed, and their vehicles were destroyed. Two nearby steel suspension bridges for gas pipelines crossing the river were damaged extensively.