- What's New -

OPS created the proposed definition from the comments received on the notice that invited further public comments on integrity management concepts as they relate to gas pipelines and from information gathered through discussions with industry representatives, public interest groups, and others.

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on this NPRM by March 11, 2002. You can view the official public record of the published Federal Register Notice by visiting the DOT Docket at http://dms.dot.gov/search/ and searching on Docket Number 7666.

February 2001 Integrity Management Public Meeting:

February 21, 2001

The Office of Pipeline Safety held a public meeting in Arlington, Virginia on February 12-14, 2001 to address two important initiatives OPS has underway: Integrity Management of Natural Gas Pipelines and Integrity Management Communications. A summary of the Integrity Management of Natural Gas Pipelines meeting is available for download.

Also available for download:

• Portable Document Format (PDF) files of the presentations given at the February 12th public meeting;
  
• PDF files of the presentations given at the February 13th public meeting on Integrity Management Communications;
  
• The meeting attendance list.

• Report: Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines: Pipeline Integrity: Prevention, Detection & Mitigation Practices (GRI-00/0193)
• Report: A Model for Sizing High Consequence Areas Associated with Natural Gas Pipelines (GRI-00/0189)
• Report: Evaluation of Pipeline Design Factors (GRI-00/0076)
• Report: The Safety Performance of Natural Gas Transmission and Gathering Systems (GRI-00/0077)
• Report: Gas Transmission System Integrity Performance Indicators by Incident Data Analysis (GRI-00/0207)
• Report: Emeritus Guidelines - Development of the B31.8 Code and Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations: Implications for Today's Natural Gas Pipeline System (GRI-98/0367.1)
• Paper: Redefining The Role of Standards and Standards Developing Organizations to Further Improve Pipeline Safety

The agenda for the discussion on Day 1 of Natural Gas Pipeline Integrity is available for download. The draft agenda for Day 2's workshop on Integrity Management Communications is also available.

OPS Continues Meetings with Natural Gas Industry Representatives:

November 2000

Over the past few months, a series of meetings between OPS and State regulators and the gas pipeline industry on how best to add protection to pipeline segments in high consequence areas (HCAs) has been held. The intended outcome of these meetings is a technical basis document developed by industry and docketed in support of a rulemaking. Summaries of these meetings are available for download from this web site under the New/Key Documents section below. You can also find the meeting summaries on the DOT Docket.

The major areas covered during the meeting were status reports on:

• "probability and consequence analysis" of gas pipeline accidents intended to focus on the features of any integrity problem areas,
• treatment of high population density areas in the current code (Part 192),
• ideas on the definition of high consequence areas,
• introduction of an industry analysis on the time allowances for reinspection of gas pipelines in high population zones, and
• current integrity management practices.

The group agreed that progress meetings should be held at approximately one month intervals, with the next meeting to be held in Columbus, Ohio on April 19 and 20.