To meet Congressional mandates with regard to confirming the operating pressure limits of certain natural gas transmission pipelines, PHMSA will conduct a workshop on the concept of Integrity Verification Process (IVP) on August 7, 2013.  78 Fed. Reg. 32010 (May 28, 2013). In addition, PHMSA released an initial draft approach for IVP in the form of a complex flow chart. According to the Agency, this concept shares similarities with the “fitness for service” process that Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) has been pressing to verify the mechanical integrity of natural gas pipelines. See e.g., INGAA White Paper: Definition and Application of Fitness for Service to Gas Pipelines (May 31, 2012). Notably, PHMSA’s draft IVP approach introduces several new terms and concepts such as legacy pipe, modern pipe, legacy problematic construction techniques, and moderate consequence areas (MCAs), as an addition to HCA classification.  Comments may be submitted before or after the workshop.