The Department of Transportation/Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) posted their enforcement guidance documents for Public Awareness for both Part 192 and Part 195 (revised 4/30/2013). The materials contained in these documents consist of guidance, techniques, procedures and other information for internal use by the PHMSA pipeline safety enforcement staff. These guidance documents describe the practices used by PHMSA pipeline safety investigators and other enforcement personnel in undertaking their compliance, inspection, and enforcement activities.

For a copy of the Public Awareness Enforcement Guidance contact Jessica Roger . (Please specify Part 192, Part 195 or both.)

Public Awareness

Do you have a Public Awareness effectiveness evaluation inspection coming up? Need a Public Awareness Plan? RCP has developed 100’s of plans and participated in dozens of inspections. Contact Jessica Roger for help with your Public Awareness Program.

On May 15, 2013 the Missouri Public Service Commission updated their gas pipeline regulations found in the Code of State Regulations (CSR) Title 4 Division 240 Chapter 40 Gas Utilities and Gas Safety Standards. In addition to editorial changes, the following more significant changes were made:

4 CSR 240-40.020 Incident, Annual and Safety-Related Condition Reporting

• Exempted pipelines that operate at less than 0 psi and pipelines that are not a regulated onshore gathering line (as determined in 4 CSR 240-40-030(1)(E)).
• Updated the definition of an incident to exclude the cost of gas from the $50,000 reporting threshold and add a three million cubic feet threshold for reporting unintentional estimated gas loss.
• Rather than requiring a telephonic report, an immediate notification must be made to the National Response Center by either telephone or electronically at NRC.USCG.MIL
• Updated PHMSA reporting requirements to match the report submission requirements found in 49 CFR 191.
• Require a federal incident report be filed within 30 days after detection of an incident on the incident form revised June 2011.
• Added requirements for Mechanical Fitting Failure Reports to the requirements for filing distribution system annual reports.
• Added requirements for obtaining OPID and reporting changes.

4 CSR 240-40.030 Safety Standards – Transportation of Gas by Pipeline.

• Added definitions for active corrosion, electrical survey, PHMSA, Pipeline Environment, and Service line serving single-family residence.
• Added control room management procedures and distribution integrity management plans as procedures and plans that must be submitted to the designated commission personnel.
• Updated the requirements, to match those in the Federal Regulations, for transporting pipe.
• Specifically states 49 CFR 192.123(e) and (f) are not incorporated due to the fact that they permit higher design pressures for certain types of thermoplastic pipe.
• Forbids valves having a shell body made of cast iron, malleable iron or ductile iron from being used in gas pipe components of compressor stations.
• Added requirements for installation of excess flow valves in any new or replaced service line serving a single-family residence after February 12, 2010 unless stated exemptions are met.
• Added requirements for the Operations and Maintenance Manual to include procedures for implementing the applicable control room management procedures required.
• Added requirements for adding actions required to be taken by a controller during an emergency in accordance with control room management requirements.
• Provides requirements for master meter operators to develop and implement procedures to provide customers public awareness messages twice annually in lieu of a full public awareness program.
• Added Control Room Management requirements.
• Updated requirements for permanent repairs for non-integrity and integrity management repairs.
• Updates to the pipeline integrity management for transmission lines.
• Added requirements for gas distribution integrity management.

For a copy of the Missouri updated regulations, contact Jessica Roger

515-9-1-.06 Incident Requiring Telephonic Notification

The Georgia Public Service Commission updated their gas pipeline regulations found in Section 515 Chapter 9 Rule 1 Safe Installation and Operation of Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines. This update defines a pipeline incident to be the same as that defined in 49 CFR 191.3. Operators are required to provide a telephonic notice to the Commission’s Pipeline Safety Staff for incidents and a written report within 30 days of the incident describing the relevant facts regarding the incident as well as information on any investigation conducted by the operator. These updates are effective May 2, 2013.

For a copy of these updated regulations, contact Jessica Roger

June 19-20, 2013 Dallas, Texas

The Department of Transportation/Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will conduct a two-day workshop to bring together pipeline safety public awareness stakeholders to discuss findings from recent federal and state public awareness inspections, and gain perspectives from various stakeholders on public awareness challenges and successes to identify ways to strengthen pipeline safety public awareness. Presentations from this workshop will be made available following the workshop.

Registration and hotel information can be found on the PHMSA website.

The Department of Transportation/Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is conducting a public workshop on the concept of “Integrity Verification Process.” The Integrity Verification Process shares similar characteristics with fitness for service processes. At this workshop, PHMSA, the National Association of State Pipeline Safety Representatives and various other stakeholders will present information and seek comment on a proposed Integrity Verification Process that will help address several mandates set forth in Section 23, Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure, of the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011.

The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 in the DC area (exact location TBD). This workshop will be webcast, and presentations will be available online at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/ after the conclusion of the meeting.

Members of the public may attend this free workshop. To help assure that adequate space is provided, all attendees are encouraged to register for the workshop in advance. More details on this meeting, including the location, times, and agenda items, will be available on the meeting registration website.

Members of the public may also submit written comments either before or after the workshop. Written comments must be received by September 9, 2013. Comments should reference Docket No. PHMSA-2013-0119 and can be submitted via the E-Gov Website.

For more information, contact Cameron Satterthwaite, Office of Pipeline Safety, at 202-366-1319 or by email.

PHMSA has created an app for their Emergency Response Guidebook 2012 (ERG), which can be downloaded from iTunes or Google Plan. Visit PHMSA for more information to download the 2012 ERG Mobile App. The ERG is widely used by emergency responders to quickly locate information about hazardous materials. The 2012 edition includes new evacuation tables for large toxic gas spills, and standard response procedures for gas and liquid pipeline incidents. PHMSA’s website also contains an instructional video at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/library/erg.

There’s an app for that! In 2009, at our request, Tekk Innovations developed an iPhone application containing the federal pipeline safety regulations (49 CFR 40, and 190-199). It has keyword search and the capability to e-mail excerpts of the regulations to others. There have been several updates since the original app was released. The current version 1.9 was updated on February 27, 2013. The app can be found in the iTunes store. The cost is $19.99.

Tekk Innovations has also developed apps for all the other CFRs, including all of 49 CFR for those who want all the transportation regulations, not just the pipeline ones; Louisiana Law, California Law and FAA FAR for Pilots.

Editor’s Note: I like the app with just the pipeline parts of 49 CFR, since I can search the pipeline regulations easier that way without getting hits from the other transportation regulations.

RCP is excited to announce that Chris Foley (RCP’s Vice President) received the Bronze Award of Merit from AGA. The award was presented at the recent 2013 AGA Operations Conference & Biennial Exhibition in Orlando, Florida. He received this award based on his active and continuous service to the AGA Operating Section through participation on technical committee(s), as well as his participation in AGA events either as an attendee or speaker. The AGA Operating Section strives to aid member companies in operating safely, efficiently, and reliably while continuing to serve the best interests of customers and the general public. Please join us in congratulating Chris on this prestigious award.

Have you registered and confirmed your reservations for these upcoming conferences? RCP will have representatives and Exhibits at these upcoming conferences. Click on the links below for registration and hotel information. We hope to see you there!

Texas Gas Association (TGA) Operations & Management Conference
June 23 – 26 (Ft. Worth, TX)

Louisiana Gas Association (LGA) Pipeline Safety Conference
July 22 – 26 (New Orleans, LA)

Southern Gas Association (SGA) Operating Conference & Exhibits
July 22 – 24 (Houston, TX)

Western Regional Gas Conference (WRGC)
August 21 – 21 (Tempe, AZ)

NACE Central Area Conference
August 26 – 28 (Little Rock, AR)