On January 9, 2003, the EPA published an Interim Final Rule to extend the current SPCC deadlines by 60 days, and a Proposed Rule to extend the current SPCC deadlines by 1-year. The proposed 1-year extension is from the date of the ORIGINAL rule deadlines, not from the date of the 60-day extended deadlines. The…
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RSPA Results Winter 2002 – 2003 Edition
The latest edition of RSPA’s newsletter, “RSPA Results”, has recently been published and can be downloaded from RCP’s website at here through the DOT Gateway. This newsletter has several articles of interest to pipeline operators, including the new pipeline safety act, TAPS renewal, the newly proposed Gas Pipeline Integrity Management rule, and grants to firefighters…
Editor’s Federal Register Trivia of the Month
The EPA is proposing to issue a permit to allow ice to melt in the sea. You read it here first. Somebody should call Fox news. Issuance of a General Permit to the National Science Foundation for the Ocean Disposal of Man-Made Ice Piers From its Base at McMurdo Sound on Antarctica EPA is today…
DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – March 19-20, 2003 – Houston Includes update on the new Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 signed into law on Dec 17, 2002
RCP will conduct a 2-day workshop on DOT Pipeline Regulations on March 19th and 20th in Houston. Day 1 of this workshop will present an overview of all the current DOT regulations for pipeline operators. Day 2 will review recent regulatory initiatives such as pipeline integrity management, hazardous liquid corrosion control requirements, high consequence area…
Operator Qualification: Public Meeting
The Research and Special Programs Administration’s (RSPA) Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) will conduct a public meeting from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 25, 26, and 27, 2003, to discuss progress in implementing the operator qualification (OQ) rule for gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. OPS will continue to develop the protocols and guidance…
Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas (Gas Transmission Pipelines) – Notice of workshop
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) Foundation and the American Gas Association (AGA) have jointly organized a two-day workshop on proposed regulations on “Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas” to be held on February 20, 2003, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on February 21, 2003, from 8 a.m. to 12…
Special Edition Letter from the Editor
There are two meetings in February that are of general interest to our readers, but were not announced in time for the normal February newsletter. Also note that a Federal Register announcing one of these meetings was incorrect, as described in the article below. We are also including the announcement about our March 19-20th, 2003…
Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas (Gas Transmission Pipelines): Notice of public meeting
Editor’s note: this meeting has not been “officially announced” as of newsletter publication time, but we have heard from reliable sources that it will occur as described below. The on-line registration site mentioned below does not yet contain this meeting information, but should soon. OPS will conduct a one-day public meeting to address issues raised…
Definition of “Waters of the United States”: extension of comment period
On January 15, 2003, the Department of the Army (Army) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on the Clean Water Act (CWA) regulatory definition of “Waters of the United States” ( see our February, 2003 newsletters). That ANPRM requests public input on issues associated with the…
New Southeast Louisiana Area Contingency Plan
A revised Southeast Louisiana Area Contingency Plan has been approved by the US Coast Guard and the State of Louisiana. It can be accessed at www.uscg.mil/d8/mso/morgancity/portops/portops.htm. The document is available in both Word and Acrobat formats. Your oil spill response plans (aka OPA90 plans, or ICPs) must be consistent with the applicable ACPs, as described…
RCP Website hang-ups
Our website was recently changed to a new server. There were a few problems with e-mails that were processed by our website during this process. If you attempted to contact us (to sign up for a newsletter or register for a seminar), and haven’t heard back from us – your message is probably lost in…
OQ-2 Teleconference
The MidWest Energy Association is hosting a teleconference on March 7, 2003 from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. central time to discuss continuing issues with the Operator Qualification rule. The “OQ-2 Working Group” was formed as a result of the issues of concern identified at the January 22, 2003 Office of Pipeline Safety public meeting…
MMS Safety Alert on Pipeline Safety Joints
On February 24, 2003, the Minerals Management Service issued Safety Alert No. 211 concerning Pipeline Safety Joints. The text of the alert is contained below: Hurricane Lili and Tropical Storm Isidore recently swept through the Gulf of Mexico, damaging several pipelines. Mudslides occurred in the West Delta and South Pass areas as a result of…
Withdrawal of MMS Proposed Rule – Pipeline Repairs
Editor’s Note: File this under good news / bad news. The good news is that the proposed rule is being withdrawn. The bad news is that a complete re-write of the MMS pipeline rules is in the works, which will look a lot like the DOT / OPS rules. You may want to forward this…
DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – March 19-20, 2003 – Houston Includes update on the new Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 signed into law on Dec 17, 2002
RCP will conduct a 2-day workshop on DOT Pipeline Regulations on March 19th and 20th in Houston. Day 1 of this workshop will present an overview of all the current DOT regulations for pipeline operators. Day 2 will review recent regulatory initiatives such as pipeline integrity management, hazardous liquid corrosion control requirements, high consequence area…
Homeland Security Advisory System – Brochure
The Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness Association has prepared a full-color brochure concerning the current homeland security advisory levels, and what they mean to employers and members of the general public. It gives several recommended actions for each security level (yellow, orange, etc.), and is a useful reference for all members of the public –…
Louisiana Rules for Pipeline Integrity Management
As we mentioned in last month’s newsletter, the State of Louisiana publishes their own set of pipeline regulations, and does not simply incorporate the federal rules by reference. Intrastate pipelines in Louisiana must comply with the state rules, where they are more strict than the federal rules. Persons with Louisiana intrastate pipelines should note that…
OCS Crane Requirements
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has incorporated by reference into its regulations the Fifth Edition of the American Petroleum Institute’s Specification for Offshore Cranes (API Spec 2C). MMS has taken this action to establish a minimum design standard for cranes installed on fixed platforms on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) after the effective date of…
Offshore Crane Operations and Safety Conference 2003
The safe operation of offshore cranes is a critical issue for the petroleum exploration and production industry. API is hosting the “Offshore Crane Operations and Safety Conference 2003” at the Lafayette Hilton on June 24-25, 2003. The event is co-sponsored by MMS, OOC, IADC, OMSA, NOIA, and ASME. At the conference, you can gather information…
Final rule – Security Requirements for Offerors and Transporters of Hazardous Materials
The Research and Special Programs Administration is establishing new requirements to enhance the security of hazardous materials transported in commerce. Shippers and carriers of certain highly hazardous materials must develop and implement security plans. In addition, all shippers and carriers of hazardous materials must assure that their employee training includes a security component. This final…