On September 9, 2021, the Iowa Department of Commerce, Utilities Division, issued an updated Chapter 13 under Title 199. Except for the new requirement to submit copies of all PHMSA reports to the Utilities Board, most of the update is a re-ordering of Chapter 13 and adding details to existing requirements for requesting, amending and renewal of pipeline permits. Many of the changes are concerned with the Informational Meeting requirements. The changes primarily are additional details to existing requirements. For example, the additions include timelines for setting the date of the Informational Meeting, obtaining approval to hold the Informational Meeting, and communicating the meeting date to potentially impacted persons along the pipeline right of way. An example of a new requirement is to submit a copy of all presentation material to the Utility Board within 14 days of the Meeting.
Some parts of the regulation now have more detail, such as a public notice for the Informational Meeting, which includes adding a requirement to notify the board of supervisors for every county that will be impacted by the pipeline. The permit application content requirements have been re-organized with some additional details that have typically been included in an application but were previously not required. For example, one change will be to require information about authorizations from other authorities (highway and railroad crossing) for inclusion in the permit request, instead of just recommending the information for inclusion.
The Reporting Rule was updated to include reporting to the Iowa Utility Board when a PHMSA report is required. This only applies to the portions of the pipeline that is located within Iowa.