The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) will hold a meeting on Operator Qualification on August 28, 2003, at Duke Energy’s offices in Houston from 12 noon to 5pm. An agenda will be prepared and distributed at a later date. Seating is limited. Contact Linda A. Thomas at lthomas@ingaa.org or (202)216-5925 if you want…
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Liquid Advisory Committee Meeting (docket number RSPA-98-4470)
OPS will convene a meeting of the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (THLPSSC) on Wednesday, August 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. via telephone conference call to request the Committee’s input on the conceptual framework of the OPS five-year research and development program plan as required by Section 12 of the Pipeline…
Workshop on Effective Public Awareness Programs for Pipeline Operators
The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) is co-sponsoring with pipeline industry groups two workshops to facilitate the pipeline industry’s implementation of effective public education and awareness programs. The first workshop is planned for Houston, TX, on September 4th and 5th, 2003. The second workshop is planned for Baltimore, MD, on September 16th & 17th, 2003.…
Gas Distribution Fees in Texas
The Railroad Commission of Texas proposes new 8.201, relating to Pipeline Safety Program Fees. New Texas Utilities Code, 121.211, authorizes the Commission to adopt by rule an inspection fee to be assessed annually to all operators of natural gas distribution pipelines and their pipeline facilities and natural gas master metered pipelines and their pipeline facilities…
GLO assuming more oil spill responsibility in Texas
Note: the following is re-printed from the July edition of the Texas General Land Office’s Facility and Maritime Affairs July 2003 newsletter. Thanks to the efforts of Commissioner Jerry Patterson and the Land Office legislative team, the Texas General Land Office will assume jurisdiction for all maritime oil spills starting September 1st. Starting in the…
Hazmat Security Regulations / RCP Audit Protocol
On March 25, 2003, the Research and Special Project Administration (RSPA) of the DOT adopted a new security requirement for certain transporters of hazardous materials. The rule covers Facilities, Shippers, Trucks and Rail Cars that are involved in bulk (not pipeline) transportation of hazardous materials in a packaging having a capacity equal to or greater…
Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Advisory Committee Meeting
The Research and Special Programs Administration’s (RSPA) Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) will convene a meeting of the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (TPSSC) on Thursday, July 31, 2003, from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon to discuss and vote on the cost-benefit analysis for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Pipeline Integrity Management for Gas Transmission…
MMS / USCG Incident Reporting Requirements Public Meeting
The Minerals Management Service and the US Coast Guard will hold a meeting on September 3, 2003, from 1 p.m. to approximately 4 p.m. at the MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional office (Room 111), 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70123, to explain the Proposed Rule for Incident Reporting Requirements that was published on…
Outer Continental Shelf-Incident Reporting Requirements
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has proposed a rule to revise and clarify MMS requirements for reporting incidents associated with Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas and other mineral operations. MMS has developed these reporting requirements in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and intends them to be as consistent as possible with…
Interested in Web-Based Compliance Management Systems?
RCP has the latest technology to help manage all of your permits, inspections, procedures, and data requirements and neatly organize them into one overall compliance assurance system. This includes regulatory tasking, data management, and exception reporting. Because it is web-based, there are no IT issues to struggle through to get started. An institutional memory is…
OQ update
As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, Duke Energy and INGAA hosted an OQ update meeting on August 28. Some of the items that were discussed in that meeting include: OQ audits are still mostly “process” oriented, and not “content” oriented. OQ audits are not currently looking in-depth at control room operator qualification programs. OPS intends…
Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committees; Vacancies
The Research and Special Programs Administration’s (RSPA) Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) seeks applications for membership on the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (TPSSC) and the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (THLPSSC). The TPSSC and the THLPSSC review and report on proposed standards relating to the transportation of gas or hazardous liquids through…
Definitions in the Louisiana Regulations – Revisions
There have been some recent changes to the definitions in the Louisiana Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Regulations. These changes include a modification to the definition of Master Meter System, as well as the addition of two new terms: School System and Special Class System. The current differences between the state and federal definitions include: There…
Electronic Transmission and Storage of Drug Testing Information Federal Advisory Committee: Notice of Federal Advisory Committee meeting
The Department of Transportation (DOT) Electronic Transmission and Storage of Drug Testing Information Federal Advisory Committee will meet for the third time in a public session on September 22-23, 2003, at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209, (703) 524-6400, Guest Fax: (703) 524-8964. The purpose of the Committee is to…
Revision of the Emergency Response Guidebook: Notice of regulatory review; request for comments
The Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) is soliciting comments on the development of the Emergency Response Guidebook 2004 (ERG2004), particularly from those who have experience using the 2000 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2000) during hazardous materials incidents. The ERG2004 will supersede ERG2000. The development of ERG2004 is a joint effort involving the transportation agencies of…
Notice of workshops on industry consensus standard API RP 1162, “Public Awareness Programs for Pipeline Operators”
Editor’s note: due to the importance of the subject matter, and the fact that it impacts virtually every pipeline operator, I have reproduced the majority of the Federal Register notice concerning these meetings in the following article. The Research and Special Programs Administration’s (RSPA) Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) and the National Association of Pipeline…
Producer-Operated OCS Pipelines That Cross Directly Into State Waters
This final rule addresses the safety regulation responsibility for producer-operated natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines that cross into State waters without first connecting to a transporting operator’s facility on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This rule specifies the procedures by which producer operators can petition for approval to operate under safety regulations governing pipeline…
ASME B31-Q Meeting Update
The Southern Gas Association (SGA) has posted an update on their website concerning the first meeting of the ASME B31-Q Committee. This committee is tasked with developing a technical standard concerning qualification of pipeline personnel. The resulting standard is expected to apply universally to all pipelines (not just those in the US). The pipeline industry…
The Railroad Commission Of Texas Announces Fourth Annual Regulatory Expo & Commissioners’ Offices Open House
The Railroad Commission of Texas has scheduled its 4th Annual Regulatory Expo for October 22 and 23 at 1701 North Congress in Austin, Texas. The Expo is designed to provide participants with a better understanding of commission forms and procedures and provide an overview of essential information. The Expo also offers an opportunity to personally…
More Texas Pipeline Safety Regulations
In addition to the Texas pipeline safety regulations that were discussed in last month’s newsletter, the Texas RailRoad Commission has also approved the following new regulations: §8.201.Pipeline Safety Program Fees – concerning fees to be assessed against operators of distribution pipelines and master meter systems, and §8.240.Discontinuance of Service – concerning deadlines to discontinue gas…