The Annual API Pipeline Conference will be held April 19-22 at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel in New Orleans, LA. The premier conference and symposium of their kind in the U.S. will provide over 100 session topics of critical importance to the pipeline and related industries. Early registration ends March 31, 2010 and the cut…
January 2010
PHMSA Pipeline Construction Website
This may be old news for some, but PHMSA has posted a page on their website dedicated to pipeline construction. The site includes a list of Frequently Asked Questions, reference documents, a list of hot-button issues observed by PHMSA inspections over the last few years of pipeline construction growth, as well as a summary of…
Are you ready for a Public Awareness Plan Audit?
A recent NTSB accident investigation determined that an operator’s oversight and evaluation of the effectiveness of the public education program, and the performance of the public awareness contractor, were inadequate. The NTSB recommended that PHMSA exercise their right to review the operators’ evaluation process to determine the effectiveness of the public awareness plans developed. Will…
2010 ASME International Engineering Congress and Exhibition – Call for Abstracts
Our president, Bill Byrd, is chair of the Safety Engineering, Risk Analysis, and Reliability Methods track at the ASME International Engineering Congress and Exhibition in Vancouver, Canada, November 12 – 18, 2010. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts for papers that they would like to present at the congress. In addition to the general topics…
Florida Pipeline Safety Regulations – Misc. Revisions and Updates
The state of Florida has modified their gas pipeline safety regulations (Division 25 – PSC, Chapter 12 – Safety of Gas Transportation by Pipeline) to incorporate more recent editions of standards and federal regulations, make various minor modifications to specific requirements in Florida, and to change reporting requirements.
Advisory Bulletin ADB-09-03 – Operator Qualification Programs
The Department of Transportation/Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued Advisory Bulletin ADB-09-03 informing pipeline operators about the standardized notification process for operator qualification (OQ) plan transmittal from the operator to PHMSA. PHMSA has added to the glossary of definitions of the terms “Observation of on-the-job performance” as applicable to determining employee qualification and “Significant”…
DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – Gas, Liquids, DIMP & Control Room Management
March 2, 3, and 4, 2010 / Houston, TX Join us March 2-4, 2010 in Houston at the Crowne Plaza Downtown for an informative, lively, and interactive workshop on DOT Pipeline Compliance and OPA Planning for DOT Pipelines. This workshop has been attended by hundreds of pipeline personnel, with excellent feedback. The workshop provides an…
Extension of Comment Period – DIMP Coupling Failure Reporting Requirement
[Docket No. PHMSA-RSPA-2004-19854] On December 4, 2009, PHMSA published a final rule (74 FR 63905) under Docket No. PHMSA-RSPA-2004-19854 amending the Pipeline Safety Regulations (49 CFR Parts 190-199) to require operators of gas distribution pipelines to develop and implement integrity management programs. In that final rule, PHMSA adopted a requirement that operators report failures of…