On June 23, 2000, API filed their comments on the proposed Pipeline Integrity Management rulemaking. In those comments, API made to following statements, which give a good summary of their work to date and plans concerning their planned Pipeline Integrity Management standard:

"We are pleased to report that the following progress has been made in developing the consensus integrity standard –

• A work group has been created and has held three meetings. The work group includes pipeline operators, inspection technology vendors, inspection service companies, representatives from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME B31.4), representatives from the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, OPS inspectors, and OPS headquarters personnel.
• The work group has encouraged broad participation, including issuing specific invitations to pipeline safety advocates, such as the participants in the recent national conference sponsored by the National Pipeline Reform Coalition, to participate in the development of and to comment on the integrity standard.
• The work group issued a discussion draft of the standard for broad public review on May 25, 2000 and has asked that OPS post that discussion draft to the docket for this rulemaking. (Editor's note: the discussion draft is available on RCP's website at http://www.your-rcp.com/downloads/Misc/API Discussion Outline 5-25-2000.pdf)

The work group plans to release a first draft of the standard for broad public review in late July and to have a second draft available in September at approximately the same time OPS has indicated that a final rule will be published. The September draft of the standard will need to be modified to incorporate changes resulting from OPS deliberations on the comments under this docket and codified in the final rule. We are striving to complete the integrity standard within 60 days of the publication of the final rule so that it will be available to companies as they develop their integrity management plans in 2001."