Wichita ? Eleven underground gas storage sites in Kansas have gone uninspected for 18 months because of a federal court ruling.

The Legislature had voted to have the state regulate underground storage of hazardous gases and liquids after deadly explosions in Hutchinson a decade ago.

But last year’s ruling limited the state to regulating storage fields that do business only within the state.

The Wichita Eagle reported that the fields the state can regulate hold only 12 billion cubic feet of gas. That’s just a fraction of the 272 billion cubic feet of capacity in the fields the state is no longer allowed to regulate.

The gas company that sued Kansas says internal inspections and policies are enough. But some of the thousands who live on the uninspected fields are nervous.