The OQ2 working group has developed audit protocols that address most issues that industry and agency personnel had with the current OQ rule. The protocols can be downloaded from RCP’s website here through the DOT Gateway. There are a couple of issues (training requirements under OQ, and OQ requalification intervals) that cannot be addressed to…
July 2003
Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee Meeting Transcripts
The full transcripts of the TPSS Committee meetings (the OPS natural gas advisory committee) on May 28-30 concerning the natural gas integrity management program are now available. The transcripts include a concise introduction describing the issues to be discussed at the meeting (a good idea for meetings in industry, as well!). The transcripts are rather…
Public Education – Future Activities
As mentioned in our January, 2003 newsletter, the Pipeline Safety Act of 2002 requires each owner or operator of a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility, by December 17, 2003, to: “…review its existing public education program for effectiveness and modify the program as necessary. The completed program shall include activities to advise affected municipalities,…
Olympic Pipeline Sentencing Announced
U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein has sentenced two former managers of Olympic Pipe Line Co. to prison for crimes that contributed to a gasoline spill and fire in Bellingham, Washington, on June 10, 1999. The incident took three lives, and became a focal point for pipeline safety advocates. Frank Hopf Jr., VP of Olympic at…
EPA Issues Construction General Permit, Including Coverage for Pipeline Activities in Texas
EPA’s Construction General Permit was published in the Federal Register on July 01, 2003 and covers all construction activity on sites one acre or larger (or smaller sites that are part of a larger common plan of development) in states, territories, and Indian country where EPA is the permitting authority. The new permit implements Phase…
Oberstar Asking for a List of Overdue Submittals to NPMS
Under the new pipeline safety act, operators of hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines were required to submit mapping data to the Department of Transportation by June 17, 2003. Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), the ranking Democratic on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, wants DOT to make sure they comply. Rep. Oberstar sent a…
Subsea Pipeline Spill Model
The Minerals Management Service (MMS) has developed a Pipeline Oil Spill Volume Computer Model (POSVCM) to model worst case discharges from subsea pipelines. The program incorporates 3-dimensional seafloor bathymetry to better simulate plume dispersion. It can calculate the total mass of oil released, evolution of an oil/gas release over time, and the eventual surface thickness…
Provisions for Alternative Mitigation Measures During Permitting Delays
The Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 amended the Federal pipeline safety laws to require that the Secretary of Transportation revise pipeline safety regulations, as needed, to allow operators to implement alternative mitigation measures if repairs to pipelines cannot be completed within specified time frames. As explained below, RSPA/OPS interprets existing pipeline repair requirements to…
DOT Pipeline Compliance Workshop – July 30-31, 2003 – Houston
RCP will conduct a 2 day workshop on DOT Pipeline Regulations on July 30th and 31st in Houston. Day 1 of this workshop will present an overview of all the current DOT regulations for pipeline operators. Day 2 will review recent regulatory initiatives such as pipeline integrity management, high consequence area (HCA) analysis, community education…