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In This Issue

  1. PHMSA Advisory Bulletin ADB -11-01: MAOP / MOP and IMP
  2. NTSB Recommendations on San Bruno Incident: Records and MAOP Calculations
  3. MAOP Analysis Services
  4. DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – January 18-20, 2011
  5. Extension of Comment Period for Liquid Pipeline ANPRM
  6. Integrity Management Services
  7. PIPA Report Published
  8. O&M Manual Up-To-Date?
  9. Texas Damage Prevention Summit January 31 — San Marcos, Texas
  10. Control Room Management Services
  11. RCP Continues to Add More Firepower to its Staff
  12. PHMSA Webinar on Annual and Incident Reporting Forms from the One Rule and DIMP
  13. RCP’s Web-Based Compliance Management Systems
  14. DIMP Integration
  15. Key Features

NTSB Recommendations on San Bruno Incident: Records and MAOP Calculations

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has made several Urgent safety recommendations to PHMSA, the California Public Utilities Commission, and Pacific Gas & Electric (the pipeline operator) regarding the San Bruno, CA pipeline incident. The focus of these recommendations is to ensure that PG&E specifically, and pipeline operators in general, have adequate documentation of their pipeline systems, and that they have accurately calculated the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) of those systems.

The NTSB’s recommendation to PHMSA was:

P-10-1 (Urgent): Through appropriate and expeditious means such as advisory bulletins and posting on your website, immediately inform the pipeline industry of the circumstances leading up to and the consequences of the September 9, 2010, pipeline rupture in San Bruno, California, and the National Transportation Safety Board’s urgent safety recommendations to Pacific Gas and Electric Company so that pipeline operators can proactively implement corrective measures as appropriate for their pipeline systems. (emphasis added)

The NTSB’s Urgent recommendations to PG&E were:

P-10-2 (Urgent): Aggressively and diligently search for all as-built drawings, alignment sheets, and specifications, and all design, construction, inspection, testing, maintenance, and other related records, including those records in locations controlled by personnel or firms other than Pacific Gas and Electric Company, relating to pipeline system components such as pipe segments, valves, fittings, and weld seams for Pacific Gas and Electric Company natural gas transmission lines in class 3 and class 4 locations and class 1 and class 2 high consequence areas that have not had a maximum allowable operating pressure established through prior hydrostatic testing. These records should be traceable, verifiable, and complete.

P-10-3 (Urgent): Use the traceable, verifiable, and complete records located by implementation of Safety Recommendation P-10-2 (Urgent) to determine the valid maximum allowable operating pressure, based on the weakest section of the pipeline or component to ensure safe operation, of Pacific Gas and Electric Company natural gas transmission lines in class 3 and class 4 locations and class 1 and class 2 high consequence areas that have not had a maximum allowable operating pressure established through prior hydrostatic testing.