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On November 3, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) Research and
Special Programs Administration (which includes the Office of Pipeline
Safety [OPS]) issued regulations for the periodic testing of pipeline
integrity. OPS is requiring that an operator develop and follow an
integrity management program that provides for continually assessing the
integrity of all pipeline segments that could affect these high
consequence areas, through internal inspection, pressure testing, or other
equally effective assessment means. It also calls for follow up activities
for remediating potential problems, prioritizing those problems, and
taking preventive measures. While most pipelines are already undergoing
voluntary inspection and maintenance, it is believed that the rate of
testing would be as much as double the rate that industry typically
follows. The new regulation also requires pipeline operators to allow state and federal inspectors to review company plans to prevent pipeline safety problems such as corrosion, outside damage to the lines, human errors and other defects.
The effective date for the rule will be sometime in the beginning of
January 2001, although the rule contains a number of compliance dates for
different aspects of the program. Each operator who owns or operates at
least 500 miles of pipeline is covered by the rule. It is estimated that
this includes approximately 87% of liquid pipelines in the U.S.
The following table organizes the principal program components with
compliance deadlines, if available.
| (1) Identification of all pipeline segments that
could affect a high consequence area. High consequence areas
include unusually sensitive areas (e.g., protected wilderness
areas), cities in excess of 50,000, other concentrated populations
under 50,000, or a commercially navigable waterway. |
9 months from effective date |
| (2) Develop a written integrity management
program that addresses the risks on each pipeline segment that
could affect a high consequence area. |
1 year after effective date |
| (3) Baseline Assessment Plan must be
completed. This is essentially a periodic integrity testing
program with a completion schedule (starting with highest risk
pipe), and an explanation of why particular testing tools were
appropriate. |
50% w/i 3 1/2 years of effective date, 100% within
7 years, ongoing testing generally on a 5-year schedule. |
| (4) Ongoing Integrity Management Program.
Components of the program include:
(a) a process for identifying which pipeline segments could
affect a high consequence area;
(b) a baseline assessment plan;
(c) an analysis that integrates all available information about
the integrity of the entire pipeline and the consequences of a
failure.
(d) criteria for repair actions to address integrity issues raised
by the assessment methods and information analysis;
(e) a continual process of assessment and evaluation to maintain a
pipeline's integrity;
(f) identification of preventive and mitigative measures to
protect the high consequence area
(g) methods to measure the program's effectiveness
(h) a process for review of integrity assessment results and
information analysis by a person qualified to evaluate the results
and information.
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1 year |
The complete text of the final rule is available
on AcuSafe.
AcuSafe is a presentation of
AcuTech Consulting,
©2002, All Rights Reserved
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