Energy industry trade groups and safety advocates expressed relief after federal regulators revealed major revisions to gas pipeline regulations that are years overdue.
Stakeholders stressed that they are still digesting the 304-page final rule unveiled Sept. 30 but welcomed the completion of a substantial portion of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's, or PHMSA's, three-part gas transmission "megarule." Its release offers considerable regulatory certainty to pipeline operators and paves the way for safety enhancements sought by public interest groups after the deadly San Bruno, Calif., gas explosion in 2010.
The rule addresses key failures in pipeline safety that have contributed to past disasters, including inadequate record-keeping on the amount of pressure that can safely flow through a line and pipe properties within an operator's system. It also expands requirements to assess the integrity of infrastructure beyond so-called high-consequence areas.
"The natural gas pipeline industry is pleased to see the completion of this major update to PHMSA's pipeline safety regulations," Don Santa, president and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, said in a statement. "While INGAA still needs to review the specifics of the final rule, we know that it embraces new pipeline safety technologies and engineering practices and constitutes the most significant enhancement to PHMSA natural gas transmission pipeline safety regulations since the federal code was created in 1970."
The initial response was positive compared to reactions to earlier versions of the regulations, which drew criticism from trade groups for being overly complicated and complaints from safety advocates that they did not go far enough. The long path to completion also made PHMSA a regular target among lawmakers in recent years.
Stakeholders said PHMSA incorporated several suggestions from its gas pipeline advisory committee, a group of advisers that includes representatives from government, industry and civil society. Several trade groups said the final rule was the product of a "consensus" approach to rulemaking.
"The dedication to a collaborative approach, through written comments and the PHMSA gas pipeline advisory committee, has resulted in a final rule that will enhance pipeline safety in a feasible and practical way," Erin Kurilla, vice president of operations and pipeline safety at the American Public Gas Association, said of the rule.
Industry representatives have also stressed in recent years the role of technology as a tool to advance pipeline safety. Trade groups sought to dissuade PHMSA from adopting regulations that would prevent operators from deploying new technologies and procedures to meet the new requirements.
"We're pleased that PHMSA has updated their regulations so that natural gas and liquid pipeline operators are able to facilitate the use of new technologies and processes that will help to keep their operations safe for employees, surrounding communities and the environment," said Robin Rorick, the American Petroleum Institute's vice president of midstream and industry operations.
Rorick urged PHMSA to "continue to pursue additional rulemaking that provides liquid pipeline operators the flexibility to use fit-for-purpose repair criteria based on data and sound engineering principles."
The gas transmission rule, along with two other rules recently finalized by PHMSA, provides long-overdue changes that will help prevent the types of disasters that spurred the reform push, according to Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for expanding regulations.
"Once these rules go into effect pipeline companies will be more likely to have good records to verify the type of pipe they have in the ground or will have tested that pipe to ensure it is safe, liquid pipelines will be more likely to have leak detection systems, and pipelines in rural areas will actually be required to be inspected for the first time by the latest technology," Weimer said.
