Gas Meter Vehicular Protection Program

BGE has developed a project plan that consists of identifying BGE gas meters inside of garages and relocating them outside and also identifying gas meters already located outdoors that are exposed to vehicular traffic. If necessary in either situation, BGE will then install protective poles filled with concrete, known as bollards. These measures reduce the risk of vehicular damage to the gas meter, helping to ensure safe gas service for you and your property.

The gas meter relocation and installation of gas meter protection will occur at no expense to you.

Program Background

In September 2015, a natural gas incident occurred in Columbia, Maryland, extensively damaging several townhomes. There were no fatalities. The incident was deemed to be accidental in nature, due to a customer vehicle striking the customer’s gas meter piping located inside the garage and causing a release, build-up, and ignition of natural gas.

As a result of this incident, in early 2016, the Maryland Public Service Commission directed BGE to identify and protect all indoor gas meters exposed to vehicular traffic within five years. BGE has developed a project plan that consists of relocating approximately 6,000 indoor garage gas meters outdoors and, if necessary, protecting them with a bollard along with installing approximately 10,000 bollards at existing outdoor gas meters exposed to vehicular traffic. This work will be completed in all of the counties that BGE provides gas services.

BGE Response to Commission

BGE is committed to maintaining a safe and reliable natural gas system. To most efficiently mitigate exposure to meter damage related to vehicular contact or other threats, BGE established a gas meter protection program to move all in-garage gas meters outdoors in an open space, and to protect meters with bollards. BGE also took the following steps:

Reviewed and updated its gas metering location standards and associated business practices.
Developed a protection standard for new above ground gas and electric equipment within three feet of vehicular traffic and has refined the protection standards for existing above-ground gas and electric equipment within three feet of vehicular traffic.
Reviewed gas meter locations in its service territory that may be impacted.

Conducted a 6-month survey of all townhome communities, and single family properties with in-garage meter location records to assess in-garage location risk.
Established program and implementation plans to complete meter relocations and bollard installations within BGE’s service territory by counties and cities.

Identified customers will be contacted by mail, door hangers and phone to arrange appointments for the necessary meter protection work to be completed. If you have been contacted by BGE’s approved contractor, Precision Pipeline Solutions (PPS), please arrange the appropriate times to meet and assess the mandatory work that is required on your property.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.

Estimated Program Schedule

BGE has identified locations in its service territory that will require the necessary meter protection work. The estimated timetable of when we expect to begin work in each county is shown below:

Estimated year work will begin	County
2017	Anne Arundel
2017-2018	Howard
2017-2018	Prince George’s
2018	Carroll
2018	Baltimore County
2018	Harford
2018	Cecil
2018-2019	Baltimore City

The timeline provided is an estimate as of October 2017. BGE may adjust the schedule as
necessary. Please check this site for any updates in the future.

Images of Relocated Gas Meters and Installed Bollards

After BGE’s approved contractor, PPS, is able to coordinate a site survey with affected customers, they will relocate gas meters outdoors and if necessary install a protective bollard. If a gas meter exposed to vehicular traffic is already located outdoors, PPS will only install a protective bollard. Shown below are images of completed meter relocations and bollard installations.