Tulsa council reduces hazmat charge to $500 after contractor hits gas line; cites ordinance language, marking disputes

Tulsa City Councilors voted unanimously to reduce a $4,950 hazardous-materials invoice to $500 for a plumbing contractor who struck a natural-gas line, concluding an appeal and debate over the city's hazardous-materials billing rules.

The appeal concerned a November incident in which a Roto-Rooter crew damaged an ONG (Oklahoma Natural Gas) pipeline. Michael Baker, Tulsa fire chief, asked the council to deny the appeal and said the department billed $1,800 per hour for a hazardous-materials response under the city code and that the company had not paid the ordinance's annual fee-in-lieu option.

Baker said the applicable rules are in Title 13, chapter 4, of the Tulsa code, including the definitions of a 'responsible party' and the conditions for exemptions. He told councilors the department's ordinance allows an annual fee in lieu of billed costs and that 'a company that…