For ten years, I worked side by side with the men and women of the Philadelphia Gas Works Distribution Department. Every autumn, I would anticipate the dark chill of winter and the endless nights of chasing gas leaks and potential emergencies. In an effort to maintain a high level of public safety, many distribution workers would demonstrate heroic qualities not usually associated with the utility workers.
In the city of Philadelphia, there are 3,000 miles of gas pipeline that weave and intersect like a giant underground labyrinth that extends to all corners of the city and supplies 500,0…
