PHMSA announced that it will extend the comment period on its proposed gas rule by only 30 days, with comments due on or before July 7, 2016.  Due to the scope and complexity of the proposal, numerous parties requested a 60 day extension of the comment period.  In granting the 30 day extension, PHMSA noted

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

Due to the significant changes to the gas transmission and gathering annual report, recently approved by the Office of Management and Budget, PHMSA extended the filing deadline for calendar year 2012 data from March 5, 2013 to June 15, 2013. 78 Fed. Reg. 5866 (Jan. 28, 2013). PHMSA also reminds operators to validate their

The Government Accounting Office (GAO) has released its report, ‘Safety Effects of Less Prescriptive Requirements for Low-Stress Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines Are Uncertain’ to Congress. In response Congress’s request, GAO analyzed whether the integrity requirements for distribution lines should also apply to low-stress transmission pipelines due to their similar operating pressures. GAO concluded that the

In response to industry requests for an extension of the comment period for PHMSA’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the safety of natural gas transmission lines, the Agency has extended the comment period from December 2, 2011 to January 20, 2012. Click here to view the Federal Register Notice published November 16, 2011.  Click

PHMSA announced that it is seeking information on whether or not to propose new safety requirements for gas transmission pipelines. In particular, PHMSA is considering whether integrity management requirements should be revised and expanded, including adding more prescriptive language in some areas, and whether other issues related to system integrity should be addressed by strengthening