The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) and the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR) cosponsored a workshop on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) with the pipeline industry trade associations on Tuesday, December 2, 2003 in Houston Texas (see our November, 2003 newsletter). The workshop provided a forum for the discussion of SCC phenomena in both…
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DOT/OPS Issues Final Gas Pipeline Integrity Management Rule
DOT/OPS issued the long anticipated pipeline integrity management rule for gas transmission pipelines on December 12, 2003. The rule is contained in a new Subpart O of §192. The rule is very detailed and specifies requirements for Operators in performing assessments, data collection, integration and analysis, repair and remediation action, implementation of preventative and mitigation…
RCP Services Spotlight – Pipeline Acquisition Due Diligence & Program Support
RCP has provided expert support for various pipeline acquisitions. A recent project included due diligence on crude assets in West Texas and New Mexico of over 2000 miles of regulated transmission pipeline, gathering systems, and environmental assessments for 38 sites such as breakout, pump, and tank battery stations. The types of services we provide include…
Pipeline User Fees for 2004
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is providing pipeline operators the following information to facilitate the process of estimating their Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 User Fees. DOT has not yet billed pipeline operators for FY 2004 User Fees.* FY 2004 appropriations for the DOT have not yet been enacted. DOT is operating under Continuing Resolutions,…
Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas (Gas Transmission Pipelines) – Correction
OPS has corrected the effective date of a final rule published in the Federal Register on December 15, 2003 (68 FR 69778) [Docket No. RSPA-00-7666; Amendment 192-95]. That rule requires operators to develop integrity management programs for gas transmission pipelines located where a leak or rupture could do the most harm, i.e., could impact high…
CPM Leak Detection Data Collection
On January 13, 2004, the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) published a notice seeking public comments on a proposed renewal of an information collection for Incorporation by Reference of Industry Standard on Leak Detection. This information collection requires hazardous liquid pipeline operators who have leak detection systems to maintain records of those systems. Pipeline…
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) Schedules Spill Response Planning Meetings
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) will conduct 3 information transfer meetings to discuss oil spill response planning and preparedness activities, as shown below: March 3, 2004 Galveston 8:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m. March 4, 2004 Port Arthur 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. March 10, 2004 Corpus Christi 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The agenda…
API Recommended Practice 1162: Public Awareness Programs for Pipeline Operators Finalized
API RP 1162 Finalized (from API’s website): The American Petroleum Institute has issued new guidance to U.S. pipeline operators to improve public awareness of pipelines. The purpose of the guidelines, known as Recommended Practice 1162 or Public Awareness Programs for Pipeline Operators, is to reduce pipeline accidents, which are often attributable to digging by homeowners,…
SPCC Deadlines Extended by EPA (REMINDER)
EPA extended (68 FR 18890), by eighteen months, the compliance dates in §112.3(a) and (b). The longer time frame is intended to address concerns raised by the regulated community, and also avoids a potentially overwhelming number of individual extension requests. Summary of Compliance Dates – If an onshore or offshore facility that: was in operation…
Gas and Hazardous Liquid Gathering Lines: Clarification of Rulemaking Intentions and Extension of Time for Comments
This notice clarifies RSPA/OPS’s rulemaking approach to gathering lines regulation and explains the type of information RSPA/OPS is seeking. It also extends the deadline for written comments to March 4, 2004 [Docket No. RSPA-98-4868 (gas), Notice 4; and RSPA-03-15864 (liquid), Notice 2]. All written comments should identify the gas or liquid docket number and notice…
DOT/OPS Issues Final Gas Pipeline Integrity Management Rule
As noted in our newsletter last month, DOT/OPS issued pipeline integrity management rule for gas transmission pipelines on December 12, 2003. The rule is contained in a new Subpart O of §192. DOT/OPS has established a new website at primis.rspa.dot.gov/gasimp containing the rule’s text and other relevant gas integrity management topics. Some key dates associated…
Periodic Underwater Inspections: Comment Period Extended
The Office of Pipeline Safety has issued a notice to extend the comment period to March 10, 2004 for the proposed amendment (see the January 2004 DOT Pipeline Compliance News) to the pipeline safety regulations to require operators of gas and hazardous liquid pipelines to have procedures for periodic inspections of pipeline facilities in offshore…
OPS Releases Final Rule Requiring Annual Reports for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines
The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) released in January the final rule requiring the hazardous liquid pipeline operators to submit an annual report (69 FR 537 January 6, 2004). “This action requires operators of pipeline systems subject to RSPA’s hazardous liquid pipeline safety regulations to prepare and file annual reports containing information about these systems.…
TPSSC (gas) and THLPSSC (liquid) Meetings
Meetings of the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (TPSSC) and the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (THLPSSC) will be held from Tuesday, February 3 to Thursday, February 5, 2004, at the Washington-Dulles Airport Marriott Hotel, 45020 Aviation Drive, Dulles, Dulles, Virginia. The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) will provide briefings on pending rulemakings…
DOT Pipeline Compliance / Gas Integrity Management Workshop April 6-8, 2004 – Houston Includes updates on the new Gas Pipeline Integrity Management regulations published on Dec 15, 2003 recent and guidance for Operator Qualification and Public Awareness Programs.
RCP will conduct a 3-day workshop on DOT Pipeline Regulations on April 6-8th 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 for pipelines such as SPCC requirements, operator qualification, public awareness programs, pipeline security, as well…
RCP Services Spotlight – SPCC & Response Planning Capabilities
RCP has developed or revised OPA-90 plans and SPCC plans for both large and small facilities throughout the US in order to meet the August 17, 2004 deadline. Our previous experience with contingency plans enables us to be very efficient in the development of these plans. We are very familiar with the necessary cross-references, indices,…
EPA Issues Final Rule for National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): Organic Liquids Distribution (Non-Gasoline)
The EPA recently issued the final rule regarding the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for new and existing organic liquids distribution (OLD) (non-gasoline) operations. This is a new air emissions rule impacts the following entities: Operations at major sources that transfer organic liquids into or out of the plant site, including: Liquid…
MMS Announces the International Workshop on Coatings for Corrosion Protection: Offshore Oil and Gas Facilities, Marine Pipelines & Ship Structures
The MMS announced it will hold the International Workshop on Coatings for Corrosion Protection: Offshore Oil and Gas Facilities, Marine Pipelines & Ship Structures on April 14-16, 2004 at the Imperial Palace Hotel, Biloxi, Mississippi. The Colorado School of Mines is organizing this international Workshop on behalf of the MMS and the other co-sponsors to…
MMS Announces New Publication – MMS Ocean Science
The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency of the Department of the Interior, which has funded over 600 million dollars of research on the marine environments along the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, Pacific and Atlantic outer continental shelves through its Environmental Studies Program, has launched MMS Ocean Science. MMS Ocean Science is a bimonthly magazine…
The Department of Homeland Security Announces Voluntary Submittals of Critical Assets (including pipeline systems)
The Department of Homeland Security announced the creation of the Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program on February 20, 2004. The PCII Program is designed to encourage private industry and others with knowledge about our critical infrastructure to share confidential, proprietary, and business sensitive information about this critical infrastructure with the Government to assist the…