On Sept. 29, a bill was signed into law that establishes tougher safety procedures for excavation work that is conducted near high-risk pipelines carrying flammable fuels such as gasoline and natural gas. The legislation was inspired by the Nov. 9, 2004, pipeline excavation accident at a construction site in Walnut Creek, Calif., that killed five…
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DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – December 8, 2006
RCP will be hosting our very popular workshops on DOT Pipeline Compliance on December 8 in Park City, Utah. Join us for an informative, lively, and interactive workshop on DOT Pipeline Compliance. This workshop has been attended by hundreds of pipeline personnel, with excellent feedback. The workshop provides an overview of the DOT pipeline regulations,…
Texas Proposed Regulation on Damage Prevention
On December 5, 2006, the Texas Railroad Commission will review a new proposed rule for pipeline damage prevention. The proposed rule will be found in new Chapter 18, entitled Underground Pipeline Damage Prevention, relating to: Scope, Applicability, and General Provisions; Definitions; Excavator Notice to Notification Center; Excavator Obligation to Avoid Damage to Underground Pipelines; Operator…
Pipeline Safety Trust Presentations Available
The Pipeline Safety Trust held a unique conference in November that provided a forum for various stakeholders to share their views on the current state of pipeline safety. Participants included members of the Pipeline Safety Trust, general public, regulatory agencies, and pipeline industry leaders. Topics discussed included land use, data management, technology, communications, damage prevention,…
PHMSA Gas Gathering Workshops
PHMSA has published several more dates and locations for the gas gathering definition workshops. The first few workshops have been very informative and have provided an opportunity for “lively” exchanges among federal, state, and industry stakeholders. Workshop schedule and registration information can be found by clicking here. DATE LOCATION SPONSOR Dec 7, 2006 Port Allen…
NTSB Comments on NPRM for Low Stress Pipelines
Several comments have been submitted to PHMSA in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Protecting Unusually Sensitive Areas from Rural Onshore Hazardous Liquid Gathering Lines and Low Stress Lines. Of particular significance is the comments submitted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB has indicated that they believe the NPRM does…
PHMSA Issues Second Advisory Bulletin of 2006 on Excavation Practices
PHMSA has recently issued an advisory bulletin to pipeline operators in response to recent excavation incidents in Texas, Wyoming, California, and Virginia. This comes on the heels of another Advisory Bulletin (ADB 06-01, published in the Federal Register on January 17,2006 (71 FR 2613)) issued to pipeline operators affirming the DOT’s expectations for excavation tasks…
EPA Proposes Emissions Rule for Gasoline Terminals, Pipeline Farms
EPA has proposed a rule that would set air emission standards for bulk gasoline terminals, pipeline facilities, and bulk gasoline plants. An alternative would also apply to gasoline dispensing facilities. EPA said it will regulate them under sections 112(c)(3) and 112(d)(5) of the Clean Air Act rather than section 112(c)(6) and expects the proposed standards…
DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – December 8, 2006
RCP will be hosting our very popular workshops on DOT Pipeline Compliance on December 8 in Park City, Utah. Join us for an informative, lively, and interactive workshop on DOT Pipeline Compliance. This workshop has been attended by hundreds of pipeline personnel, with excellent feedback. The workshop provides an overview of the DOT pipeline regulations,…
Area Source NESHAP for Oil and Gas Production Facilities Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2004-0238.
The EPA has promulgated national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) to regulate hazardous air pollutant emissions from oil and natural gas production facilities that are area sources. The final national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for major sources was promulgated on June 17, 1999, but final action with respect to area sources…
Canadian EUB Issues Draft Directive 71 – Emergency Preparedness and Response Requirements for the Petroleum Industry
Directive 071 (formerly Guide 71) was initially published in June 2003 to consolidate all of the EUB’s emergency response requirements into a single document. The next major revision to the Directive is anticipated for publication in April, 2007. As part of the review process, the EUB has been engaged with the CAPP Emergency Response Committee…
Notice of Minimum Annual Percentage Rate For Random Drug Testing [Docket No.: PHMSA-97-2995]
PHMSA has determined that the minimum random drug testing rate for covered employees will remain at 25 percent during calendar year 2007. 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…
Has the new Gas Gathering definition affected your pipelines?
RCP can conduct a detailed analysis of your gas pipelines to determine end points of production and gathering based upon the recently finalized definition of gas gathering pipelines. The analysis will also determine whether your gathering pipelines are regulated and whether they are classified as Type A or B regulated gas gathering. For more information,…
PHMSA Gas Gathering Workshops
PHMSA has published the following date and location for the gas gathering definition workshop in Kansas. The first few workshops have been very informative and have provided an opportunity for “lively” exchanges among federal, state, and industry stakeholders. Workshop schedule and registration information can be found by clicking here. DATE LOCATION SPONSOR Jan 9, 2007…
EPA Issues Final and Proposed Amendments to the SPCC Requirements
The EPA signed a final rule to amend the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule at 40 CFR part 112. EPA amended the SPCC rule to address a number of issues raised by its 2002 final rule. The final rule is effective February 24, 2007 (60 days following publish date in Federal Register, 12/26/06).…
Advisory bulletin on LNG Facility Security (ADB-06-04) [Docket No. PHMSA-04-19856]
PHMSA’s pipeline safety regulations require operators to implement security measures that deter intruders. These measures include written procedures, protective enclosures, security communication, lighting, and monitoring (49 CFR part 193, subpart J). Operators must use staff who have been trained to carry out security duties through means that include security training (49 CFR 193.2709 and 2715).…
National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program – 2007 to 2009 Schedule
The Coast Guard, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Minerals Management Service, in concert with representatives from various State governments, industry, environmental interest groups, and the general public, developed the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines to provide guidance for compliance with the Oil Pollution Act…
DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – March 29, 2007
RCP will be hosting our very popular workshops on DOT Pipeline Compliance on March 29 in Houston, TX. Join us for an informative, lively, and interactive workshop on DOT Pipeline Compliance. This workshop has been attended by hundreds of pipeline personnel, with excellent feedback. The workshop provides an overview of the DOT pipeline regulations, and…
Common Ground Alliance Announces Launch of New National 811 One-Call Website
January marked the official launch of the Call811.com web site. The national campaign launch is set for May 1st and the web site will continue to provide all stakeholders with the most up-to-date information on getting involved with the campaign. CGA will continue to post additional content to the www.call811.com web site as important milestone…
Common Ground Alliance 811 Stakeholders Summit February 6th, Houston, TX
The Common Ground Alliance, CGA, is holding a free informational Summit regarding an update on the efforts of the Common Ground Alliance as well as the national 811 awareness campaign. As the implementation deadline for 811 rapidly approaches, the CGA has been preparing to develop and launch the national campaign. Topics to be discussed include:…