The results of the pilot test to determine Unusually Sensitive Areas (USAs) have been posted on the Office of Pipeline Safety website at http://ops.dot.gov/pilotresults.htm. According to the pilot results, 15.87% of the State of California (including virtually the entire coastline) would be considered an "Unusually Sensitive Area" for ecological resources. This compares to 3.9% of the State of Louisiana, and 2.06% of the State of Texas. The discrepancy between states is rather significant. Also significant is the peer review comment submitted by the State of California, which stated that additional areas in the state should be included in the definition, and that other states should " be brought up to California’s standards in Natural Heritage data collection and automation rather than "dumbing down" our data so the application of the rule will be consistent."

The USA rule will be used in current and future regulations associated with spill response, low pressure pipelines, emergency flow restricting devices, increased pipeline inspection, risk management, and integrity management in high consequence areas. The first 10 states slated for USA identification completion are TX, OK, KS, LA, IL, WY, NM, CA, MO, and MT. These 10 states contain about 75% of the hazardous liquid pipelines in the United States. The DOT is targeting to have USA maps for these states by the end of 2000. The DOT plans to publish a final rule on USAs by 12/00.