New pipes isn't the issue. It is the pipes themselves. They contract with the cold.

CBS News/AP 
March 13, 2014, 4:17 PM

One of the two buildings (click here) destroyed in an apparent natural gas explosion in New York City's East Harlem had installed new gas pipes last year, records show, as the utility serving the area continued to search for where gas had leaked.

The utility, Con Edison, said that it remained to be seen whether there had been a leak in a company gas main or in a customer-installed line. It said it was conducting a thorough review of records of gas pipes in the area of the blast on Park Avenue, reports CBS New York.

New York City building records do not show any work underway at either address, but one, owned by the Spanish Christian Church, had obtained permits and installed 120 feet of gas pipe last June....

The utilities companies are running like mad all over the country where the polar air mass travels. This has nothing to do with new pipes. If the pipes and fittings don't contract and expand in the same way there will be leaks.

The thickness of the pipes compared to the joints in the line are different thicknesses. It's bad. This infrastructure in the USA was never built for this. 

All these pipes and fittings are different. They serve different purposes. They are made of different material. Leaks happen.

No one wants to admit the denial of this climate crisis is actually dangerous because the problem is so huge. People are used to having control. There is no controlling a planet. Everyone tried and no one listened because the profits of oil men came first. The wealthy had to have control. Well, welcome to the outcome of their control.

Edited by Reliefatlast, Spyagent, Permasofty, Amelia and 2 others (click here)

Installing a gas line is probably not a task to take on as your first do-it-yourself project. The risks of making a mistake outweigh the costs of a professional. However, experienced do-it-yourselfers can install a gas line as safely as a professional. Despite the narrow margin for error, the individual steps are no more demanding than plumbing or electrical work....

Best advice right now; if a gas leak is detected, leave the building or area, call the police, notify the gas company and find a warming shelter or family or some place safe recommended by the police. DO NOT STAY IN THE BUILDING OR AREA.

Gas leak shuts down Route 1 in Portsmouth (click here)
Furniture store employee notices strong smell of gas

 5:21 PM EDT Mar 13, 2014
 

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. —A section of Route 1 in Portsmouth was shut down and homes and businesses were evacuated Thursday because of a gas leak.
Officials said an employee of Allen Wayside Furniture opened the store at about 8 a.m. and noticed a strong odor of gas. That employee called 911, and fire crews found what they called extremely high gas readings.
Power was cut to the building, a section of Route 1 was shut down and the area was evacuated....

Con Ed Hunting for Possible Gas Leak in 127-Year-Old Pipe (click here)
Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Less than two weeks before two East Harlem buildings exploded, leaving at least seven dead, Consolidated Edison workers checked the 127-year-old gas main in front of the site and found no apparent leaks, according to a ConEd spokesman....

Rescue dog saves family from gas leak two weeks after adoption (click here)

Hunter, a 3-month-old Husky mix, woke up his owner Jill McLarty in the middle of the night and ran into the kitchen of their Michigan home to let her know that the gas burner was still on. 'We loved him from the get-go,’ McLarty's husband said. ‘But the bond between us and him is stronger than ever.'

By Michael Walsh 
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, March 13, 2014, 4:39 PM

Nothing could throw this dog off the scent.
A pint-sized pup with a hero-sized heart sniffed out a gas leak in the middle of the night — saving his human family.
"You try not to think of the bad things, the 'what ifs,'" owner Tim McLarty told the Daily News. "I'm just thankful each and every day that we got him."
It appears Hunter, a 3-month-old Husky mix, was just returning the favor. The family  had just rescued him from the Michigan Humane Society two weeks earlier.
Tim and Jill McLarty, of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., were fast asleep the night of March 5 with Hunter on their bed when the dog suddenly awoke and started to whine.
At first, Jill McLarty thought Hunter needed to go outside — even though he typically hits them with his paw when he wants to do so — so she opened the door....

He wasn't about to lose his home.

Article by: MARY LYNN SMITH , Star Tribune
Updated: March 12, 2014 - 11:21 PM

A gas leak in south Minneapolis (click here) closed a portion of Hiawatha Avenue S. for several hours Wednesday evening and forced the evacuation of buildings in the area.

CenterPoint Energy crews were expected to work through the night to repair the leak, utility spokeswoman Becca Virden said.

Hiawatha Avenue between 31st and 38th Streets was shut down at 4:30 p.m., at the start of rush hour, while crews searched for the source of the leak. It reopened about 7 p.m. But a two-block section of 35th Street between Hiawatha and Snelling Avenues remained closed Wednesday night while crews excavated the street to repair the leak, Virden said.

ADM Milling employees reported smelling gas in a grain elevator and immediately evacuated the building, she said. Crews aired out the building and the workers went back to their jobs, she said. Residents evacuated from three houses also were able to return by early evening, Virden said.

The Blue Line light-rail trains along Hiawatha kept running when the road was closed....

I think that is enough evidence to prove my words.

What To Do If You Smell A Gas Leak (click here)

Lauren Evans 
News
Mar 13, 2014 9:43 am

...Bob McGee, a spokesperson for Con Ed...said that anyone who smells gas should call Con Ed immediately, but not before getting a safe distance away. Placing a cell phone call—or flipping a light switch, or turning on a television—could all trigger an explosion. Anything that involves an ignition is a potential hazard—which is why Con Ed crews bang on the door instead of ringing the bell when responding to a call.