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 not go far enough in several respects, including:
- Extending the applicability of the NPRM to all low stress lines, not just those that are within a quarter mile of an Unusually Sensitive Area
- Extending the same regulatory requirements in Part 195 to the to-be-regulated low stress pipelines
- Extending the proposed requirements for cleaning, monitoring, and leak detection to all currently regulated pipelines, not just the proposed to-be-regulated lines
- Extending the applicability of Part 195 regulations to gathering lines located within inlets of the Gulf of Mexico
- Clarification of PHMSA’s role in regulating offshore gathering and low stress lines in relation to other agencies
To request a copy of the NTSB’s comments, click here