Almost four years after the Enbridge crude oil spill near Marshall, Michigan, PHMSA issued an Advisory Bulletin urging operators to evaluate their safety programs and implement changes to eliminate deficiencies identified by the NTSB’s investigation of the release.
Continue Reading PHMSA Issues Advisory Bulletin Regarding 2010 Marshall, Michigan Release

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB or the Board) is initiating a new safety study regarding gas pipeline integrity management.  The NTSB has authority to investigate pipeline accidents that involve a fatality, substantial property damage or “significant injury to the environment.” 49 U.S.C. Section 1131(a)(1)(D).  The Board also has authority to initiate “safety studies” of pipelines (49 USC Section 1116(b), but it has only done that twice in the past in regard to pipelines.  See SCADA in Liquid Pipelines, NTSB/SS-05/02 (Nov. 29, 2005); Special Study of Effects of Delay in Shutting Down Failed Pipeline Systems and Methods of Providing Rapid Shutdown, NTSB-PSS-71-1 (Dec. 30, 1970).
Continue Reading NTSB Initiates Little Used “Safety Study” Authority for Pipelines

PHMSA and the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR) recently announced a one-day public workshop on Class Location Methodology to be held on April 16, 2014.  79 Fed. Reg. 16421 (March 25, 2014).  The purpose of the workshop is to discuss whether applying the gas pipeline integrity management (IM) requirements beyond high consequence areas would mitigate the need for class location requirements, an issue that the 2012 amendments to the Pipeline Safety Act directed PHMSA to evaluate and report on to Congress by January 4, 2014 (no report has yet been issued).  PHMSA invited public comment on this in 2011 (in conjunction with an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on natural gas IM) and again in 2013.   The workshop will feature an overview of the comments received to date, as well as presentations from PHMSA, state regulators, and other stakeholders on both IM methodology and the use of class locations to identify areas of higher risk along pipelines.
Continue Reading PHMSA to Host Workshop on Class Location Methodology

PHMSA published an Information Collection Renewal Notice in June regarding the renewal of existing data that the Agency collects through the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS).
Continue Reading Comment Periods Extended on NPMS Information Collection and PHMSA Class Location Inquiry

To comply with Pipeline Safety Act requirements to confirm the operating pressure limits of certain natural gas transmission pipelines, PHMSA held a public workshop on its proposed ‘Integrity Verification Process’ (IVP) on August 7, 2013.  In response to feedback from stakeholders received after the workshop, the Agency announced on September 12, 2013 a revised IVP

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

As required by Section 5 of the amendments to the Pipeline Safety Act, PHMSA is seeking public comment on whether application of integrity management (IM) requirements beyond high consequence areas would mitigate the need for class location requirements for gas transmission pipelines.  78 F.R. 46560 (August 1, 2013).  PHMSA notes that the IM program provides

PHMSA issued an Advisory Bulletin to operators of both oil and gas pipelines regarding the potential damage to pipeline facilities caused by severe flooding.  78 Fed. Reg. 41991 (July 12, 2013).  The Agency has issued several prior Advisory Bulletins on this subject, each of which followed an event that involved severe flooding that affected

On December 13, 2012, pursuant to an OMB information collection, PHMSA published a Federal Register notice soliciting comments from operators of hazardous liquid pipelines in HCAs regarding the information-collection requirements relative to the IMP provisions of 49 C.F.R. Part 195.452. Comments were invited on: (a) The need for the proposed collection of information for the

In the wake of last month’s incident in Sissonville, West Virginia, Senator Rockefeller hosted a Senate Commerce Committee field hearing in Charleston, West Virginia to review pipeline safety. The witnesses included: (1) Sissonville resident Sue Bonham who lost her home; (2) NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman; (3) PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman; (4) Susan Fleming of GAO;