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Frequently Asked Questions
Are
there regulations affecting gas and pipeline companies?
Yes, there are both federal and state regulations. Federal
regulations are found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Parts
190 – 199. States may have additional or more stringent regulations,
but they cannot be less stringent than the Federal regulations.
What Federal agency
is responsible for the pipeline safety regulations?
The Federal pipeline safety regulations are administered by
the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) within the Research and Special
Projects Administration of the Department of Transportation. The OPS web
site is http://ops.dot.gov.
Is there any
recognized guidance available for compliance with the regulations?
The Gas Piping Technology Committee (GPTC) publishes the
“Guide for Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems”.
This document is approved by the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI), and has the designation ANSI/GPTC Z380.1
Who investigates
pipeline accidents?
Pipeline accidents may be investigated by various state
agencies, by OPS, or by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB is an independent Federal agency that investigates
significant accidents in all modes of transportation, conducts special
investigations and safety studies, and issues safety recommendations to
prevent future accidents. Safety Board investigators are on call 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year. Its web site is http://www.ntsb.gov.
Are pipelines safe?
Transportation by pipeline is extremely safe. Furthermore,
there have been continuing improvements over the years that have made them
even safer than ever.
Is damage by others
a concern?
As pipelines are becoming safer and safer, more attention
is being placed on damages that are caused by activities that pipeline
operators have no control over. One-call programs are in operation
throughout the country – these programs allow excavators to place one
call to a central agency rather than having to call each underground
operator. The underground operators then mark facilities in the area of the
proposed excavation. The industry has recently formed the Common Ground
Alliance to further address this concern. Its web site is http://www.commongroundalliance.com.
Is corrosion a
concern?
Corrosion is a continuing concern, although great strides
have been made over the years to reduce this problem. In the distribution
industry, most of the new underground piping is plastic. New steel
pipelines are designed and installed with corrosion control measures that
have significantly reduced corrosion-related problems.
What terms are
commonly used to describe pipelines?
The pipeline safety regulations include detailed
definitions of various pipeline terms, but typically a “transmission
line” is a large diameter, high pressure pipeline that takes gas from
a source of supply to a cross-country location. A distribution
“main” is a pipeline that carries gas along a street. A
“service line” is a pipeline that carries gas from a
“main” to a customer meter. The pressure in a
“main” or “service line” may be low pressure or
high pressure, but is usually considerably less than the pressure in a
transmission line. The piping after a customer meter, inside a
customer’s building, is frequently called a “houseline”
or “fuel line”.
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