AOL

When a 20-inch natural gas pipeline burst and ignited a massive fire outside of Charleston, WV, it took the energy company there more than 60 minutes to manually shut down the line. To improve response times, a government watchdog agency is suggesting the use of automated valves.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office is saying in a just-released analysis that government officials in charge of inspecting pipeline safety should be required to provide the necessary data so that monitors can help them improve their response times and the subsequent results. Automated valves, for example, would permit natural gas companies to turn off the gas within minutes of an incident.