- What's New -
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Upcoming Integrity Management Workshop for Liquid Pipeline Operators: |
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June 2002
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OPS is holding a two-day workshop July 23-24, 2002 on OPS's findings from inspections conducted from February through April 2002 to evaluate operators' compliance with 49 CFR Part 195.452, "Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas," effective May 29, 2001.On Day 1, OPS will present its assessment of operators' progress identifying pipeline segments that could affect high consequence areas (HCAs). The deadline for completing these identifications was December 31, 2001. OPS will also comment on its plans for conducting the Comprehensive Integrity Management Program Inspections, set to begin in August 2002. On Day 2, OPS will provide a forum for the pipeline industry to share and discuss noteworthy integrity management practices that achieve compliance with the rule. Emphasis will be in areas in which OPS believes improvement is needed.
The workshop will be on July 23, 2002, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and July 24, 2002, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, 5150 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77056 (tel: 713-961-1500 fax: 713-961-5045). No later than June 28, 2002, rooms may be reserved within a block identified as "USDOT/IMP Meeting Block".
For event planning purposes, OPS requests that you please register via the instructions given at http://primis.rspa.dot.gov/meetings/Mtg3.mtg. The website provides links to other useful information (including a meeting agenda, once available) and enables viewers to submit questions to OPS about the workshop.
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Final Rule - Repair Provisions: |
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January 14, 2002
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The final rule on repair provisions for hazardous liquid pipelines was published on January 14, 2002. This establishes the repair provisions for pipeline segments that could affect High Consequence Areas for operators who own or operate 500 or more miles of hazardous liquid pipeline. These repair provisions replace the requirements initially proposed in 195.452 (h) of the previous rulemaking. The notice also includes some additional clarifications to other portions of 195.452. OPS had asked for comment on the repair and mitigation provisions because of the substantial modifications to those provisions from what had been originally proposed. Based on OPS's analysis of the comments received, OPS has modified 195.452(h), which takes effect February 13, 2002.
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IMP Inspection Oversight Protocols: |
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January 9, 2002
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The Office of Pipeline Safety will begin Integrity Management Program oversight inspections in January 2002. These initial inspections will focus on ensuring that operators have properly identified their pipeline segments that can affect high consequence areas as required by the new Integrity Management Rule (49 CFR 195.452). OPS has developed inspection protocols (questions) to guide these initial inspections.
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OPS's Implementing Integrity Management Web Site: |
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October 26, 2001
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The Office of Pipeline Safety's Implementing Integrity Management (IIM) web site is now available. It can be located at http://primis.rspa.dot.gov/iim/.This web site provides information about OPS's new Rule on Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas for Hazardous Liquid Operators (49 CFR 195.452). The site provides information on the basic steps required for operator compliance with these new requirements. It also contains several useful resources, such as the rule and preamble text, a glossary of terminology, and a fact sheet summarizing the key requirements.
The Frequently Asked Questions on this web site include the questions raised by participants at the August Integrity Management workshop. OPS had planned to discuss these issues at the October workshop. Since this workshop was cancelled for security reasons, the IIM web site is now OPS’s primary vehicle for communicating this information.
OPS will continually update information on the IIM web site to reflect newly developed information that supports OPS's integrity management inspection program. As the program matures, OPS will post additional guidance, Frequently Asked Questions, and other reference material to support consistent and improved industry-wide implementation.
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October 10-11 IMP Workshop Canceled: |
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September 24, 2001
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The Integrity Management Program workshop planned for October 10-11, 2001 in Houston, TX has been canceled. This meeting was to be a follow-up workshop to the August 7-8, 2001 workshop that focused on the new requirements for Integrity Management for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Operators. Notice of this workshop was published in the Federal Register on July 3, 2001. Further information on a rescheduling of this event or on alternative forums for exchange of information on Integrity Management will be provided.
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Integrity Management Workshop on New Requirements: |
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August 21, 2001
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The Office of Pipeline Safety conducted an Integrity Management Workshop on August 7 and 8 in Houston. This meeting was the first of two planned workshops focused on the new requirements for Integrity Management for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Operators. The purpose of the first day of this workshop was to communicate the new rule's requirements and to provide information on the inspection process OPS is developing to enforce the new rule. Resources available to assist operators in complying with the rule were also discussed. These include the National Pipeline Mapping System at www.npms.rspa.dot.gov, the forthcoming American Petroleum Institute's Standard on Integrity Management (API-1160), and a new OPS web page on the rule and associated inspection process. An agenda for the meeting is available for download. Copies of the slides used by each of the meeting presenters are also available.The second day of the workshop featured a number of presentations and panel discussions by pipeline operators. These focused on aspects of integrity management that may prove challenging to companies beginning to develop such programs. This peer-to-peer forum provided operators, regulators, and the public an opportunity to see what approaches and noteworthy practices are being employed to enhance integrity management of pipeline systems. The topics included an approach to identify pipeline segments that can impact High Consequence Areas, a discussion of data integration in the evaluation of in-line inspection results, and the use of risk assessment tools in an integrity management program. A preview of the hazardous liquid industry's forthcoming report on the evaluation of the industry's historical failure data was also provided.
The workshop featured approximately 200 participants, the majority representing pipeline operating companies and companies providing services to operators. Workshop participants asked a number of questions to better understand the specific requirements of the rule and to address some of the practical issues that may be encountered when trying to comply with the provisions of the rule. These questions are currently being considered by OPS. When resolved, the issues together with their resolution approaches will be posted on the new integrity management web site. They will also be addressed at a follow-up workshop on October 10 & 11.
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Comments Received on Section 195.452(h) of the Final Rule: |
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June 7, 2001
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Publication of the final rule included a request for comments on the provisions of section 195.452(h), which concerns actions an operator must take to address integrity issues on the pipeline. The final rule asked for comment on the repair provisions because of the substantial modifications to those provisions from what had been proposed. The public comment period expired March 31, 2001. OPS is currently reviewing the comments received and will either issue a modification of the remedial action provisions of section 195.452(h) or a notice that the provisions will remain unchanged. A summary of the comments received on section 195.452(h), as well as comments on other sections of the rule, is available from this web site. The full text of the comments received are available for download from the DOT Docket.
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Final Rule - Delay of Effective Date: |
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February 2001
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A Federal Register Notice published February 8, 2001 announced a 60-day temporary delay in the effective date of the Integrity Management in HCAs rule, from March 31, 2001 to a new effective date of May 29, 2001. This temporary delay was necessary to give Department of Transportation officials the opportunity for further review and consideration of new regulations, consistent with the Assistant to the President's memorandum titled "Regulatory Review Plan," published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2001.
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Final Rule - Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas: |
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November 3, 2000
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President Clinton, in a memorandum issued today, announced that the Administrator of the Research and Special Programs Administration signed a new regulation that will greatly enhance pipeline safety measures in areas sensitive to damage from hazardous liquid pipeline accidents. This regulation, which takes effect March 31, 2001, will provide additional safeguards for populated areas, environmentally sensitive areas, and commercially navigable waterways. Under the new integrity management programs required by this regulation, hazardous liquid pipeline operators who own or operate 500 or more miles of pipeline will conduct a baseline integrity assessment of their pipelines within seven years using internal inspection, pressure testing, or other equivalent technology. They will also be required to promptly repair significant problems discovered during these assessments. The new rule also requires periodic assessments at an interval not to exceed five years to assure that the condition of the line is understood, and any new problems that may arise can be identified and addressed. The rule also requires operators to integrate information from these assessments along with other information about the pipeline to identify and address the integrity threats that could adversely impact the public or the environment. This risk analysis will determine if additional prevention and mitigation measures are necessary to reduce the likelihood and/or consequences of a pipeline failure in or near a high consequence area. This rule, which affects nearly 87 percent of federally regulated hazardous liquid pipelines, is the first of a series of rules the department plans to issue addressing pipeline integrity. Similar rules are being developed for all pipelines under federal or state oversight, including pipelines transporting natural gas.
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Integrity Management Peer Review Draft Standard Available for Comment: |
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September 11, 2000
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The Integrity Management Standard Work Group has prepared a Peer Review Draft for a pipeline integrity program consensus standard. Comments are being solicited from any party with an interest in pipeline safety and pipeline system integrity management. The Peer Review Draft is available for public review electronically from this web site.Interested persons are invited to submit comments on this draft standard by October 17, 2000. You can submit your comments to Bruce Hansen, Office of Pipeline Safety, by clicking on the Feedback button above.
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Federal Register Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Issued: |
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April 24, 2000
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On April 24, 2000, RSPA's Office of Pipeline Safety issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to establish new requirements for protection of populated areas, commercially navigable waterways, and areas unusually sensitive to environmental damage from hazardous liquid pipeline spills. The proposed rule includes requirements for integrity assessment and evaluation of pipeline segments that could affect these high consequence areas, as well as the need to consider additional preventive and mitigative actions to protect these locations from pipeline spills. This proposed rule applies to hazardous liquid pipeline operators operating 500 or more miles of pipeline. OPS is considering the development of similar requirements for the remaining hazardous liquid pipeline operators in the near future.Interested persons are invited to submit comments on this NPRM by June 23, 2000. You can view the official public record of the published Federal Register Notice by visiting the DOT Dockets Search Page and from there following the steps to search for docket number 6355.
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API Integrity Management Standard Group Convenes: |
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April 7, 2000
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An initial meeting of the American Petroleum Institute's (API) Integrity Management Standard Work Group was conducted on April 6 and 7. The group developed an initial plan for preparing a standard for hazardous liquid operator integrity management programs. The scope of the standard and a preliminary outline were prepared. Sub-teams were established to expand and enhance the proposed outline for discussion at the next meeting. Minutes from this meeting are available.
