February 2013 Issue
In This Issue
- PHMSA Extends Deadline for Filing Gas Transmission & Gathering 2012 Annual Reports
- MAOP Validation Services
- PHMSA ADB 2013-01 Accident and Incident Notification Time Limit
- DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – March 5 – 7, 2013
- PHMSA Posts Record Enforcement Numbers in 2012
- TRRC Excavation Damage Prevention Regulations – Proposed Changes
- Damage Prevention Plans
- PHMSA State One-Call Exemptions Forum March 14 – West Palm Beach, FL
- PHMSA Online Inventory of High-risk Pipeline Infrastructure
- RCP Integrity Services
- Meet me at the Conference
PHMSA Extends Deadline for Filing Gas Transmission & Gathering 2012 Annual Reports
[Docket ID PHMSA-2012-0319]
The
Department of Transportation/Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA) issued an updated report form and extended the deadline for filing the
2012 gas transmission and gathering annual reports from March 15, 2013 to June
15, 2013. Online submission via the PHMSA Portal is required unless an alternative
reporting method is granted by PHMSA. The deadline has been extended because
PHMSA made significant changes to the report form. PHMSA anticipates enabling
the online submittal of gas transmission and gathering annual reports no later
than March 1, 2013, and will notify pipeline operators who submitted calendar
year 2011gas transmission and gathering annual reports when the online
reporting system is available. The deadline extension does not apply to annual
reports for hazardous liquid pipelines.
In addition, certain operators with Operator Identification Numbers (OPID)
established prior to January 1, 2011, are required to validate their OPID data
before June 30, 2012. PHMSA has determined that a number of operators have not
completed their OPID data validations. Therefore, PHMSA is reminding operators
to validate their OPID data. PHMSA has also noticed that annual reports
submitted by gas transmission and LNG operators contain data that conflicts
with other required reports submitted to PHMSA. Operators should review their
annual report data to ensure it is accurate and submit supplemental reports to
correct errors.
If electronic reporting imposes an undue burden and hardship, an operator may
submit a written request for an alternative reporting method to the Information
Resources Manager, Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration, PHP-20, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington DC 20590.
The request must describe the undue burden and hardship. PHMSA will review the
request and may authorize, in writing, an alternative reporting method. An
authorization will state the period for which it is valid, which may be indefinite.
An operator must contact PHMSA at 202-366-8075, or by email
or make arrangements for submitting a report that is due after a request for
alternative reporting is submitted but before an authorization or denial is
received. Operators should request and receive authorization from PHMSA prior
to the use of alternative reporting methods. Click here for information regarding online
Submission Registration Requirements.
For a copy of the updated Annual Report form and/or instructions for filing,
contact Jessica Roger.
MAOP Validation Services
RCP
has developed a turnkey process by which pipeline operating companies will have
a traceable, verifiable and complete MAOP dataset. It starts with our MAOP
document review services where RCP conducts detailed reviews of relevant MAOP
documents, extracts the necessary data onto our MaxOp* cover sheets and posts
the data into the database for future dynamic segmentation and calculation. For
each document, a MaxOp* cover sheet is attached and re-filed, awaiting
digitization by the market leading document management services company, Iron Mountain.
Once these documents are scanned and posted, MaxOp* will retain a permanent
link from the data set to the document image. Finally, once the document review
is complete, MaxOp* will dynamically segment any spatially related data and run
the MAOP calculations. The resulting values and data sets can then be exported
to our customer’s in-house pipeline data set (ex. Excel, PODS, APDM, other). At
the completion of this effort, the basis for an MAOP management of change has
been established and our customers can be confident that their MAOP values are
capable of being traced back to source documentation, the calculated values
have been validated with the most comprehensive calculator tool on the market,
and the MAOP values have been completely evaluated and any potential
deficiencies identified.
For more information about RCP’s MAOP services or the MaxOp* calculator, please
contact Jessica Roger.
* MaxOp is a US Trademark and property of RCP Inc
PHMSA ADB 2013-01 Accident and Incident Notification Time Limit
[Docket No. PHMSA-2013-0015]
PHMSA
issued Advisory Bulletin ADB-2013-01 to advise owners and operators of gas and
hazardous liquids pipeline systems and LNG facilities that they should contact
the NRC within one hour of discovery of a pipeline incident and should also
file additional telephonic reports if there are significant changes in the
number of fatalities or injuries, product release estimates or the extent of
damages.
Owners and operators of gas and hazardous liquid pipelines and LNG facilities
are reminded that the pipeline safety regulations already require operators to
make a telephonic report of an incident to the NRC in Washington, DC at the
earliest practicable opportunity (usually one-to-two hours after discovering
the incident). However, under Section 9(b)(1) of the Pipeline Safety,
Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, PHMSA is required to issue
regulations requiring owners and operators to notify the NRC within one hour of
discovery of a pipeline accident or incident. The 2011 Act requires PHMSA to
establish a time limit for telephonic or electronic notification of an accident
or incident to require such notification at the earliest practicable moment
following confirmed discovery of an accident or incident that is not later than
one hour following the time of such confirmed discovery. PHMSA will issue a
proposed rule at a later date, but encourages owners and operators of the gas
and hazardous liquids pipeline systems and LNG facilities, as a practice, to
report such accidents and incidents within one hour of confirmed discovery. The
information required to be reported includes the name of the operator, the name
and telephone number of the person making the report, the location of the
incident, the number of fatalities and injuries, and all other significant
facts that are relevant to the cause of the incident or extent of the damages.
For a copy of ADB-2013-01 contact Jessica Roger.
DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – March 5 – 7, 2013
Join us March 5-7, 2013 in Houston at our new 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 pipeline operations and engineering concepts. It is appropriate for people who are new to pipeline regulations, who could use a refresher, or anyone who needs to know the latest developments in these areas. This workshop will be a combined format (unlike our previous workshops), addressing both gas and liquid pipeline topics in parallel. This will eliminate some redundancy of materials, and will allow more time for in-depth discussions for each topic.
Topics to be addressed in the workshop include:
- An overview of DOT/OPS pipeline compliance requirements
- State and Federal agency roles for pipeline safety
- PHMSA Jurisdiction
- PHMSA Inspections and Enforcement Processes
- Engineering Concepts and Stress – Strain Relationships; %SMYS
- Design Requirements
- Construction Requirements
- Corrosion Control Concepts and Requirements
- Operations and Maintenance Requirements
- Emergency Response Requirements (including spill response planning requirements for liquid pipelines)
- Damage Prevention Programs
- Operator Qualification Programs
- Drug and Alcohol Programs
- Public Awareness Programs
- Integrity Management (gas and liquid) Programs
- Control Room Management Programs
We will also discuss the recently enacted Pipeline Safety,
Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (pipeline reauthorization
bill), recent Advisory Bulletins from PHMSA, and new, pending and proposed
rulemakings.
Each attendee will receive speaker’s PowerPoint presentation handouts in hard
copy, and electronic copies of the applicable regulations and voluminous
reference materials including rulemakings, letters of interpretation, and other
guidance documents. The workshop will adjourn at 2 p.m. on the third day, for
those who need to fly out Thursday evening.
To register for our workshop, click
here.
PHMSA Posts Record Enforcement Numbers in 2012
The
Department of Transportation/Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA) is holding operators accountable for compliance with safety rules. In
its push to ensure the nation’s pipeline companies continue to enhance the
safety of their systems by investing in necessary improvements, PHMSA issued
116 enforcement orders to pipeline operators in 2012, its second highest year,
for problems with integrity management programs, qualified personnel, corrosion
control, and a number of other possible regulatory violations identified during
routine inspections and failure investigations. As a result of its enforcement
efforts, PHMSA issued a record $8,748,200 in proposed fines in 2012, including
its highest ever civil penalty case in response to a crude oil pipeline failure
in Marshall, Michigan. PHMSA’s number of enforcement orders issued in 2012 is
just four shy of the agency’s single year record in 2011 of 120.
The Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, was
signed into law last year by President Obama. The Act doubled the maximum civil
penalty amount PHMSA can issue to pipeline operators for violating pipeline
safety regulations from $100,000 to $200,000 for each violation, and from
$1,000,000 to $2,000,000 for a related series of violations. The Act also
authorizes PHMSA to increase its federal pipeline inspector workforce.
For more information on the U.S. DOT’s efforts to improve pipeline safety and
awareness, visit: http://opsweb.phmsa.dot.gov/pipelineforum/.
TRRC Excavation Damage Prevention Regulations – Proposed Changes
16 TAC Chapter 18
The
Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) has prepared Draft amendments to 16 TAC
Chapter 18, relating to Underground Pipeline Damage Prevention: http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/ch18-draft-amdmts-inf-comment-Dec2012.pdf.
The proposed changes address many different aspects of the excavation damage
prevention process, including ticket life, communication requirements, locating
requirements (including qualification of locators, and marking deadlines), and
damage reporting.
The public is encouraged to submit informal comments on these changes. The
deadline for Informal Comments is 12:00 p.m. (noon), Tuesday, February 5, 2013.
For more information or to submit written informal comments, please contact
David Ferguson, Pipeline Safety Division, at david.ferguson@rrc.state.tx.us
or by telephone at (512) 463-9119.
Damage Prevention Plans
RCP can develop or update your Damage Prevention plan. For more information about how RCP can assist you with your Damage Prevention Plan, click here.
PHMSA State One-Call Exemptions Forum March 14 – West Palm Beach, FL
PHMSA will convene a forum for damage prevention stakeholders to discuss exemptions from state one-call programs. The forum will occur in West Palm Beach, Florida, immediately following the Common Ground Alliance 811 Excavation Safety Conference and Expo. PHMSA intends to webcast the meeting. To register or view the agenda, click here for more information.
PHMSA Online Inventory of High-risk Pipeline Infrastructure
PHMSA has created a website that provides data and information on cast and wrought iron gas distribution pipelines. The website includes an annually-updated online inventory that lists this “high-risk” pipeline infrastructure mileage by state. Click here for more information.
RCP Integrity Services
RCP Integrity Services, Inc. (RCP IS) was formed January 1, 2013 to provide a full range of field services related to planning and implementation of pipeline integrity activities including direct assessment, In Line Inspection analysis, internal corrosion control, and external corrosion control including High Voltage AC influence on buried pipelines analysis, Close-Interval-Surveys, Voltage Gradient surveys, and AC Current Attenuation surveys. RCP IS supports RCP Inc.’s pipeline integrity and corrosion control services including Operational Reliability Assessments, and Integrity Management Programs.
RCP Integrity Services, along with RCP Inc., comprise the perfect team to support all of your pipeline integrity requirements.” For more information, please contact John T. Schmidt
Meet me at the Conference
Have you registered and confirmed your reservations for these
upcoming conferences? RCP will have representatives and Exhibits at NACE, API
and AGA. We hope to see you there!
NACE Corrosion 2013 Conference & Expo
March 17 – 21 (Orlando, FL)
Booth #930
AGA Transmission Pipeline Workshop
March 19-20 (Chicago, IL)
API Pipeline Conference April 16 & 17
April 16 – 17 (San Diego, CA)
AGA Ops Conference & Biennial Exhibition
May 21 – 23 (Orlando, FL)
W. R. (Bill) Byrd, PE
President
RCP Inc.