The Office of Pipeline Safety recently issued the following advisory bulletin concerning submittals to the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS). The entire notice is available on RCP’s website at here through the DOT Gateway.
To: Owners and Operators of Natural Gas Transmission and Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems.
Subject: Required Submission of Data to the National Pipeline Mapping System Under the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002.
Purpose: To advise pipeline operators of their responsibilities in complying with the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002. This bulletin describes the process for making new submissions of geospatial and operator contact information and updating previous submissions to the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS).
Advisory: Subsection (a): Submit geospatial and contact information in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the NPMS standards document entitled “National Pipeline Mapping System Standards for Pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas Operator Submissions’ dated 2003. The operators standards document is available for download from the NPMS website at www.npms.rspa.dot.gov/submissions/standards.htm.
Subsection (a)(1): If a complete data submission was made to the NPMS prior to December 17, 2001, and any pipeline system modifications have occurred since the last submission, submit complete data to the NPMS by June 17, 2003. If a complete data submission was made to the NPMS prior to December 17, 2001, and no pipeline system modifications have occurred, send an email to opsgis@rspa.dot.gov stating that fact. If a complete data submission was made to the NPMS on or after December 17, 2001, and if pipeline system modifications representing more than 5% of the total system mileage to be submitted to the NPMS have occurred, submit new complete data by June 17, 2003. If changes to the data submitted on or after December 17, 2001, affect less than 5% of the total system mileage submitted to the NPMS, submit an email to opsgis@rspa.dot.gov stating that fact by June 17, 2003. If only a partial data submission was made to the NPMS, before or after December 17, 2001, submit complete data to the NPMS by June 17, 2003. For LNG facilities, if any modifications since the last submission have occurred, submit new complete data by June 17, 2003.
Subsection (a)(2): Regardless of prior geospatial submissions to the NPMS, submit contact information for the pipelines represented in geospatial data submitted to the NPMS. The format for submitting this contact information is available in the NPMS operator standards document. This contact information will be in the public domain.
Subsection (a)(3): OPS is developing an Internet-based tool that will allow the public to identify pipeline operators within a specific geographic area. The information provided to the NPMS under subsection (a)(2) will allow the public to contact pipeline operators with questions regarding their pipelines. The Internet-based tool will display a list of operator contacts, within the geographic area specified by the user, but will not render a map of the pipelines.
Subsection (b): Once a submission is made to comply with the June 17, 2003, statutory deadline, operators are required to make update submissions every 12 months if any system modifications have occurred. If no modifications have occurred since the last complete submission (including operator contact information), send an email to opsgis@rspa.dot.gov stating that fact. Include operator contact information with all updates.