Join us at our corporate office and dedicated training facility in downtown Houston. We are now offering Pressure Test Workshops in addition to our DOT gas & liquid pipeline seminars. Visit our Training Website for updates and registration information. Pressure Test Workshops: January 13 & 14 (Tuesday & Wednesday) August 4 & 5 (Tuesday &…
December 2014
Colorful Comments
Thanks to our friend Vince Murchison for pointing out this site which has tracked the frequency with which swear words (specifically the F word and the S word) are used in public comments to agency rulemakings. It would surprise no one that the “winner” is the IRS. The last agency on the list, with the…
CGA DIRT Report for 2013 Vol. 10 Released September 2014
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has issued its Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report for 2013, providing a summary and analysis of the pipeline damage, near miss, and downtime events that occurred in 2013. The DIRT Report identifies the importance of calling 811 as most critical to safety. Last year there was a 3.5% decrease…
PHMSA Pipeline Incident Statistics
Ever wonder how pipeline incidents and accidents have trended over time? Check out PHMSA’s new incident trend website at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline/library/datastatistics/pipelineincidenttrends. PHMSA has collected pipeline incident reports since 1970. Although the report formats have changed in that time frame, the report data have been merged and scrubbed to generate 20 year trend graphs. The trend data…
Pipeline Pressure Testing Workshop: January 13-14, 2015
RCP is now offering a 2-day Pipeline Pressure Testing Workshop at its facilities in downtown Houston. RCP has established itself as a leading industry expert on pipeline pressure testing with clients securing RCP’s services specifically to validate their pressure tests. Our Pressure Testing Workshop will begin by outlining the objectives for performing a pressure test…
API RP1173 Draft Pipeline Safety Management System
A final draft is ready for approval and public comment on the Pipeline Safety Management System Recommended Practice (RP), API 1173 (PSMS). This is the second ballot and will result in a new document (1st Edition). Comments are due by December 20, 2014 and will be accepted online at http://ballots.api.org/login.aspx. The ballot ID number is…
TRRC Adopts Pipeline Permit Rule Amendments
[Utilities Docket No. 10366] On December 2, 2014, the Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) adopted pipeline permit rule amendments in 16 TAC §3.70 to clarify how a pipeline operator may be classified by the TRRC as a common carrier. The rule amendments require pipeline operators to verify their claim to be a common carrier when applying…
Drug and Alcohol Testing Update
[Docket ID PHMSA-2014-0137] PHMSA has determined that the minimum random drug testing rate for covered employees will remain at 25 percent during calendar year 2015. Operators are reminded that drug and alcohol testing information must be submitted for contractors performing or ready to perform covered functions. For calendar year 2014 reporting, PHMSA will not attempt…