[Docket No. PHMSA-2018-0047] PHMSA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the “Regulatory Reform for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines.” PHMSA is soliciting public comments on proposed amendments to 49 CFR 190, 194, and 195 for the safety of hazardous liquid pipelines that would revise the requirements for facility response plans, revise the definition for accidents, and…
may 2020
PHMSA Notice Stay of Enforcement to Gas Pipeline Operators Affected by COVID-19
PHMSA announced they will not enforce provisions of the recently finalized gas transmission rule for certain items that were due to be implemented on July 1, 2020. They will extend this July 1 deadline to December 31, 2020 (this is good news for all of you Really Cool People!). According to PHMSA’s FAQ-1, the following…
PHMSA Farm Tap FAQs
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0131] PHMSA is preparing to update its FAQs for gas farm taps. PHMSA has published a series of new FAQs to replace the current FAQ (C.3.7) concerning farm taps. The current FAQs can be reviewed on the PHMSA Gas Distribution Integrity Management webpage. The new FAQs will be available for public comment until…
COE Nationwide Permit Injunction / Directive
On April 15, a federal court in the District of Montana vacated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (COE) Nationwide Permit (NWP) 12 and remanded it to the COE for reconsideration in compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The court also enjoined the COE from authorizing any dredge or fill activities under NWP 12…
Updated COS-2-03 Requirements for 3rd Party SEMS Auditing, 2nd Edition
The Center for Offshore Safety (COS) has issued a new edition of COS-2-03, “Requirements for Third-Party SEMS Auditing,” Second Edition, and three additional guidance documents: COS-1-06, “Guidance for Developing a SEMS Audit Plan”; COS-1-07, “Guidance for Developing a SEMS Corrective Action Plan”; and, COS-1-08, “SEMS Audit Report Format and Guidance.” It is important to understand…
Correction: Pennsylvania Damage Prevention Rule Change – Date
It was brought to our attention that the Pennsylvania Damage Prevention Rule Change that we published in the April DOT Compliance newsletter was correct . . . except for the date. There was a glitch with our regulatory monitoring service which sends us daily notices of changes at the federal and state level and it…
PHMSA Report on Staffing and Hiring
PHMSA has provided a report to Congress on PHMSA’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 staffing and hiring plans and actual turnover and hiring in FY 2019 for the Office of Pipeline Safety. Per the report, PHMSA continues to work towards its full employment goal of 308 Pipeline Safety personnel. As of September 30, 2019, the Office…
RCP’s 25th Anniversary Challenge
Every month between March 2020 and February 2021, RCP will be giving away a 25th Anniversary Prize to a lucky reader of the DOT Pipeline Compliance Newsletter. All you have to do is find the hidden phrase “Really Cool People” within an article in that month’s newsletter and send an e-mail with the title of…