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Shoemaker said.Lastly, after Columbia Gas is sold, an independent monitor chosen by the U.S. Department of Transportation will monitor a new companys activities to ensure compliance with state and federal safety regulations and report it to the government on a monthly basis. NiSource also has subsidiaries in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky and Virginia. As per a separate agreement, it will implement the recommendations made by the national transportation safety board in the wake of the gas explosions in Massachusetts two years ago. SUPREME COURT HEARS ATLANTIC COAST PIPELINE CASE, ROBERTS WARNS OF IMPERMEABLE BARRIER ALONG APPALACHIAN TRAIL Columbia Gas, through a pattern of flagrant indifference, in the face of extreme risk to life and property, knowingly violated minimum safety standards for starting up and shutting down gas pipelines, Shoemaker said. Federal investigators blamed the explosions on over-pressurized gas lines, saying the company failed to account for critical pressure sensors as workers replaced century-old cast-iron pipes in Lawrence. That omission caused high-pressure gas to flood the neighborhoods distribution system at excessive levels. Todays resolution with the U.S. Attorneys Office is an important part of addressing the impact.