After blast, RI asks Coast Guard to remove old power lines
By The Associated Press
news@abc6.com
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo wants the Coast Guard to remove abandoned power cables near state beaches after hydrogen buildup from a corroded copper cable was named the likely cause of an explosion that injured a beachgoer.
Scientists determined that the July 11 explosion at Salty Brine Beach in Narragansett was probably caused by the combustion of hydrogen from a corroded copper cable under the sand installed in the 1950s.
The cable powered navigational lights before it was disconnected and abandoned. A new cable was installed in the 1980s.
The Coast Guard later converted its navigational aids to solar power.
Both cables were removed from under the beach, but portions remain under water beyond the low tide line.
The Coast Guard is reviewing Raimondo’s request.
(C) The Associated Press 2015
