The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued two Advisory Bulletins directed to natural gas distribution pipeline owners and operators. PHMSA released the advisories in response to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations arising out of two high-profile distribution pipeline incidents in Silver Spring, Maryland and Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts. The first advisory focuses on indoor meters and regulators to remind operators of the relevant regulatory requirements and risks. The second advisory covers low-pressure distribution systems, emphasizing the possibility of failures due to overpressurization.
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NTSB
New Chemical Release Reporting Rule Potentially Applicable to Pipeline Facilities
By Catherine D. Little, Annie M. Cook & Mandi Moroz on
The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s (“CSB’s”) long-awaited accidental reporting rule became effective on March 23, 2020. Under the new rule, 40 C.F.R. §§ 1604.1-1604.6., owners and operators of chemical facilities must report accidental releases that result in fatalities, substantial injury, or substantial property damage over a million dollars. This requirement includes reporting of releases that result in in-patient hospitalization, even if the hospitalization is taken as a precautionary measure. As such, this rule may impose a new reporting requirement for accidental releases from certain pipeline facilities that result in injury or property damage, such as at complex facilities where there is non-transportation related storage, processing or other handling of chemical substances.
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Continue Reading New Chemical Release Reporting Rule Potentially Applicable to Pipeline Facilities