Update, 2018-11-19

Pipeline replacements, yes, assuming they are done correctly. Otherwise, strand them.

See “NTSB faults NiSource for deadly Massachusetts gas explosions“. NiSource is the parent company of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts.

Here are the NTSB recommendations and report.

Natural Gas Pipeline Replacement Programs Reduce Methane Leaks and Improve Consumer Safety

Morgan E. Gallagher†‡, Adrian Down§, Robert C. Ackley∥, Kaiguang Zhao⊥, Nathan Phillips#, and Robert B. Jackson*†∇
† School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
‡ Nicholas School of the Environment and Center on Global Change, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
§ Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20002, United States
∥ Gas Safety, Inc., Southborough, Massachusetts 01772, United States
⊥ School of Environment and Natural Resources, OARDC, The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio 44691, United States
# Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
∇ Woods Institute for the Environment, and Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., Article ASAP
DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.5b00213
Publication Date (Web): September 9, 2015