Savannah, GA API’s 2015 Pipeline Conference and control room forum was held in Savannah, Georgia last week with over 600 members in attendance. The lure of the river boats and mossy trees were not the only attractions bringing this group together. The keynote address was given by Alex Epstein, author of The Moral Case for…
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DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – Gas
June 2-4, 2015 June 2-4, 2015 Join us June 2-4, 2015 in Houston at our corporate office and dedicated training facility for an informative, lively, and interactive workshop on DOT Pipeline Compliance topics . This workshop provides an overview of the DOT pipeline regulations in 49 CFR 191, 192, and 199. It also describes pipeline…
Summer Conference Schedule
July & August 2015 Have you registered and confirmed your reservations for these upcoming conferences? RCP will be attending. We hope to see you there! LGA Pipeline Safety ConferenceJuly 20 – 24, 2015Royal Sonesta / New Orleans, LA SGA Operating Conference & ExhibitsJuly 20 –22, 2015OMNI Hotels & Resorts / Nashville, TN Power-Gen Natural Gas…
Final Rule on Waters of the USA
[EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0880; FRL-9927-20-OW] RIN 2040- AF30 On May 27, 2015, the U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers (COE) issued a Final Rule re-defining and expanding the definition of jurisdictional “waters of the U.S.” under the federal Clean Water Act. This definition affects the need for permits under the COE’s Section 402 (NPDES) and Section 404…
Pressure Test Webex
RCP is a leading industry expert on pressure testing and will be hosting two Webex presentations on TestOp™, our new comprehensive pressure testing tool. TestOp™ is a proprietary web-based application that provides operators with a platform to plan, design, certify and document their pressure tests. For use on gas and liquid lines, with tests using…
Obama Nominates Marie Therese Dominguez to Lead PHMSA
President Obama nominated Marie Therese Dominguez to lead the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). PHMSA has been without a permanent head since October when former administrator Cynthia Quarterman stepped down. If confirmed, Dominguez would replace Timothy P. Butters, who has been acting PHMSA administrator. Dominguez has over 15 years of government experience and…
Office of Inspector General Audit of PHMSA
Project ID: 15S3007S000 The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) will be conducting an audit of PHMSA’s progress addressing significant safety issues on the basis of concerns about the length of time PHMSA has taken to implement a number of mandates. OIG’s objectives are to assess PHMSA’s: Progress in addressing congressional mandates and…
PHMSA Proposed Gas Rule for Plastic Pipe
[Docket No. PHMSA-2014-0098] On May 21, 2015, PHMSA published a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend 49 CFR 192 to address regulatory requirements concerning plastic pipe used in gas service. The proposed changes correct errors, address inconsistencies and respond to petitions for rulemaking. Several subject areas in the regulations are affected including: additional definitions, changes…
Summer/Fall Conference Schedule
July – September 2015 Have you registered and confirmed your reservations for these upcoming conferences? RCP will be attending. We hope to see you there! LGA Pipeline Safety ConferenceJuly 20 – 24, 2015Royal Sonesta / New Orleans, LA SGA Operating Conference & ExhibitsJuly 20 –22, 2015OMNI Hotels & Resorts / Nashville, TN Power-Gen Natural Gas…
P&GJ Pipeline Integrity Issue
Vol. No. 242 Number 6 June 2015 Need a summer reading suggestion? The Pipeline & Gas Journal Pipeline, Integrity Issue should be landing in your mailbox any day. Or, you can check it out online. Make sure to turn to page 51 and read “Changes to PHMSA Rules Affect Wide Range of Inspections, Reports” by…
PHMSA Risk Modeling Methodologies Public Workshop
[Docket No. PHMSA–2015–0139] PHMSA will hold a public workshop on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, and Thursday, September 10, 2015, in the Washington DC area, to advance risk modeling methodologies of gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines and non-pipeline systems. This workshop will bring industry, Federal and state regulators, interested members of the public, and other…
Jurisdictional Determination
Is there uncertainty as to whether a pipeline meets the applicability of 49 CFR 195 or 192? RCP can answer your questions regarding the jurisdictional status related to pipelines that may be regulated by the Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (DOT/PHMSA). Click here to request more information on how RCP can…
API Publishes API 1173 Recommended Practice for Pipeline Safety Management Systems
On July 8, 2015, API published a new Recommended Practice (RP) concerning safety management systems for pipelines. API RP 1173 will provide pipeline operators a comprehensive way to make safe operations and continuous safety improvement a constant focus of their operations. Safety management systems provide a formal framework to monitor, measure and improve safety performance…
Storage Tanks in West Virginia – Proposed Rule
The State of West Virginia has proposed an extensive set of regulations for above ground storage tanks, including registration, corrosion control, and routine inspections, in WVR Volume XXXII, Issue 26, 06/26/2015. There will be a public hearing on Thursday, July 30, 2015, 6.00 p.m., at the WVDEP HQ; Coopers Rock Training Room; 601 57th Street,…
PHMSA Report to Congress: Review of Existing Federal and State Regulations for Gas and Hazardous Liquid Gathering Lines
On May 8, 2015, DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx sent a study on the Review of Existing Federal and State Regulations for Gas and Hazardous Liquid Gathering Lines to various chairpersons of committees in Congress. The cover letters state: “PHMSA is considering the need to propose additional regulations to ensure the safety of natural gas and…
DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – Gas & Liquid
August 11 – 13, 2015 Join us August 11-13, 2015 in Houston at our corporate office and dedicated training facility for an informative, lively, and interactive workshop on DOT Pipeline Compliance topics . The workshop provides an overview of the DOT pipeline regulations in 49 CFR 191, 192, 194, 195, and 199. It also describes…
PHMSA Pipeline Data & Stats Website and Incident Flagged File Change
PHMSA has revamped the data and statistics portion of its website to a new and more modern look. Additionally, PHMSA updated its data specifications for Pipeline Incident Flagged Files as of June 30, 2015 to provide property damage totals in (1) 1984 dollars; (2) nominal dollars as of the incident; and (3) current year dollars…
Revised PHMSA OpID Assignment Request and Operator Registry Notification
Revised OpID Assignment Request and Operator Registry Notification forms and instructions are available on the PHMSA website and for online entry in the PHMSA Portal. The changes took place June 1st, 2015. Basic changes to the OpID assignment request include requiring cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses for operator contacts. Gas Distribution includes more categories…
Pipeline Pressure Testing Workshop: August 4-5, 2015
RCP is now offering a 2-day Pipeline Pressure Testing Workshop at its facilities in downtown Houston. The workshop will begin by outlining the objectives for performing a pressure test and how those relate to DOT requirements. The workshop will then build upon these foundations to answer many specific pressure testing questions including: What are the…
Gas Distribution Annual Report Form
PHMSA F7100.1-1 (rev 5-2015) PHMSA posted an updated Gas Distribution Annual Report Form F7100.1-1 for the submission of calendar year 2015 data in 2016. Updates to the form include: addition of “Reconditioned Cast Iron” as a material specification for reporting pipeline mileage; operators can differentiate between historic cast iron mileage and mileage that has been…