Wyoming nat gas out of commission

A major natural gas pipeline in Wyoming will remain out of commission while the cause of a blast that ruptured it this past week is investigated, officials say. TransCanada Corp. shut down its 6-month-old Bison pipeline after the Wednesday night explosion just outside Gillette, the Calgary (Alberta) Herald reported. It wasn't clear how long the pipeline would remain closed. The 30-inch-diameter Bison pipeline, which has a capacity of 407 million cubic feet of gas per day, was transporting 365 million cubic feet a day when the blast happened, TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha told the newspaper. "This system was shut down within 15 minutes," Cunha said, adding no one was hurt and there was no damage caused by the explosion. "They'll begin to determine the appropriate steps to take to get the pipeline up and running, safely, as soon as possible because we do have customers that are relying on this natural gas." The Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune reported the blast shook nearby homes and was heard at least 30 miles away. It created a 60-foot gap in the pipeline and sent several pieces of pipe into the surrounding bluffs, the newspaper said. Dan Mooney, who lives about a mile away, said it sounded like a fighter jet taking off. "It roared, it just screamed," he said.