SGA Spring Gas Conference & Expo March 15 – 17 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC A technical conference for natural gas operators. On March 16th, RCP’s Director of Communications, Amber Pappas, will be discussing Effectiveness Evaluations and their impact on Public Awareness Programs. AGA Ops Conference & Biennial Exhibit May 24 -27…
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API Pipeline Conference April 12 – 13
The 62nd annual API Pipeline Conference is being held April 12th and 13th at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country in San Antonio, Texas. The API Pipeline Environmental and Safety Awards will be presented during the luncheon on Wednesday, April 13th. For the Conference program, advance registration, and hotel information click here. For award program and…
TPSSC and THLPSSC Meetings
March 24 -25, Arlington, VA The Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (TPSSC) and the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (THLPSSC) will meet on Thursday, March 24, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and the TPSSC will meet on Friday, March 25, from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST. The committees will meet…
PHMSA Notice of Extension for Comments on Collection of Info for Periodic Underwater Inspections
Docket No. PHMSA–2010–0355 The Federal pipeline safety regulations (49 CFR parts 190–199) require operators to conduct appropriate underwater inspections in the Gulf of Mexico. If an operator finds that its pipeline is exposed on the seabed floor or constitutes a hazard to navigation, the operator must contact the National Response Center by telephone within 24…
NTSB Hearing on San Bruno
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a 3-day public hearing to gather additional factual information for the ongoing investigation into the natural gas pipeline rupture and explosion that occurred on September 9, 2010, in San Bruno, California. The goal of the hearing was for the Safety Board to learn more about the issues identified…
PHMSA Updates Hazardous Liquid Integrity Management FAQ’s
On February 8, 2011, PHMSA published several updates to the pipeline integrity FAQ’s for hazardous liquid pipelines. The revised FAQ’s are listed below. 7.4 What is an ‘immediate repair condition’? An immediate repair condition is a detected anomaly involving: Metal loss greater than 80% of nominal wall regardless of dimensions. Predicted burst pressure less than…
PHMSA Updates Gas Distribution Integrity Management FAQ’s
On February 9, 2011, PHMSA published several updates to the pipeline integrity FAQ’s for gas distribution pipelines. The revised FAQ’s are listed below. A.7 Does the operator report the number of EFVs installed per year or the total number of EFVs installed on an operator’s system on the Annual Report form? Does the number include…
Advisory Bulletin (ADB-11-02) Dangers of Abnormal Snow & Ice Build-Up on Gas Distribution Systems
The Department of Transportation/Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) recently published advisory bulletin ADB-11-02 to advise owners and operators of petroleum gas and natural gas facilities of the need to take the appropriate steps to prevent damage to pipeline facilities from accumulated snow or ice. Past events on natural gas distribution system facilities appear to…
Texas Issues Final Rule for Mandatory Gas Distribution Facility Replacements
The Railroad Commission of Texas has published new final rules for mandatory steel service line replacements. 16 TAC 8.209 Distribution Facilities Replacements prescribes the minimum requirements by which all gas distribution operators in Texas will develop and implement a risk-based program for the removal or replacement of steel service lines. Gas distribution operators affected by…
RCP News – Weather
Related events? In what resulted in the largest television audience in history, the perpetual losers of the NFL, the New Orleans Saints, overcame a 10 point deficit to beat the Indianapolis Colts by 2 touchdowns in the 2010 Superbowl. In related news, Washington DC froze over in a massive snowstorm. Its proximity to hell may…
Pirate Digs 811
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has created an educational video for children ages 8 to 11 years on the importance of calling 811 before you dig. The video is 7 minutes long and teaches children about damage prevention and its relevance to their everyday lives. The videos can be purchased by individuals or companies for…
API Pipeline Conference and Cybernetics Symposium April 19-22, 2010
The Annual API Pipeline Conference will be held April 19-22 at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel in New Orleans, LA. The premier conference and symposium of their kind in the U.S. will provide over 100 session topics of critical importance to the pipeline and related industries. Early registration ends March 31, 2010 and the cut…
RCP in Industry Publications
You know those pipeline and gas journals that pile up on the corner of your desk? Take a few moments to look for these recent articles from Bill Byrd, President of RCP. New Control Room Management Regulations Require Structured Management Approach, p. 32, in the February 2010 issue of the Pipeline and Gas Journal. SPCC…
SPCC Plan Workshop May 19, 2010 / Houston, TX
Join us May 19, 2010 in Houston at the Crowne Plaza Downtown for an informative and interactive workshop on SPCC Plan Preparation. The workshop will cover the regulation and requirements of an SPCC Plan in depth and its impact on a facility. It will also provide all the information necessary to properly develop or modify…
Reporting of Drug and Alcohol Results for Contractors and Multiple Operator IDs: ADB.09.04
[Docket ID PHMSA-2010-0034] On January 19, 2010, PHMSA published an Advisory Bulletin (75 FR 2926) implementing the annual collection of contractor MIS drug and alcohol testing data. All applicable Sec. 199.119 (drug testing) and Sec. 199.229 (alcohol testing) MIS reporting operators must now submit all contractor MIS reports to PHMSA, as well as their own,…
Notice of Minimum Annual Percentage Rate for Random Drug Testing
[Docket ID PHMSA-2010-0034] Operators of gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipelines and operators of liquefied natural gas facilities must select and test a percentage of covered employees for random drug testing. Pursuant to 49 CFR 199.105(c)(2), (3), and (4), the PHMSA Administrator’s decision on whether to change the minimum annual random drug testing rate…
Modifications to Drug and Alcohol Data Collection Forms
[Docket DOT-OST-2008-0088] The Department of Transportation (DOT) has made technical amendments to its drug and alcohol testing procedures to authorize employers to begin using the updated U.S. DOT Alcohol Testing Form (ATF) and the Management Information System (MIS) Data Collection Form. The ATF and MIS were updated to include an updated Paperwork Reduction Act Burden…
PHMSA Casing Workshop (April 28, 2010) Location: Baltimore
The Department of Transportation/Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is conducting a “Casing Workshop Part 2 – Draft Guidelines for Integrity Assessment of Cased Pipe in Gas Transmission Pipelines.” The workshop is intended to discuss the draft PHMSA guidance “Guidelines for Integrity Assessment of cased Pipe” and related FAQs prior to finalizing the guidance material.…
New RCP Pipeline Pressure Testing Workshop August 26 & 27
For the first time, RCP is offering a 2-day workshop on Pipeline Pressure Testing. RCP personnel have established themselves as industry experts, designing, implementing and validating pressure test programs for various operators. Recent PHMSA advisories and pending regulations will soon mandate pressure tests for operating gas and liquid pipelines that have not previously been subjected…
Send us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses of Pipeline Samples, yearning to breathe free.
Is your pipeline company merging? Divesting? Moving? Are old hands retiring, and clearing out their offices? No matter the reason, if you have interesting pipeline samples that need a new home, please let us know. We do training frequently, and would like to have physical pipe samples of corrosion, cracking, welding defects, seam defects, etc.…