PHMSA has finally published guidance to better delineate federal oversight of midstream processing facilities for public comment. The guidance, in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), is intended to avoid gaps or overlaps in regulatory oversight of midstream facilities, particularly between PHMSA and OSHA. Comments are due by January 4, 2021. An example of the success of working groups where industry and agencies partner to provide additional regulatory clarity, the FAQs should — if finalized after notice and comment — provide more certainty to both regulated midstream processing operators and state and federal agencies.
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Pipeline Safety Act
As Cyberthreats Continue, PHMSA and TSA MOU Stresses Information Sharing and Coordination
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently finalized an Annex to a longstanding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding pipeline safety and security. This Annex comes just weeks after a publicized natural gas pipeline cybersecurity intrusion and responds to several recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) discussed in our earlier alert to update the prior Annex which had not been reviewed or revised since its inception over 14 years ago. The updated Annex emphasizes information-sharing and coordination between the agencies and signals that the agencies are moving forward on satisfying outstanding GAO recommendations. While this is a step in the right direction, questions remain whether TSA is the appropriate agency to oversee pipeline security and whether existing voluntary standards should be mandatory.
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PHMSA Updates its Latest Enforcement Tool: Emergency Order Final Rule
On October 1, 2019, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA or the Agency) issued three long awaited final rules. This post addresses the Agency’s final rule on Emergency Orders, a significant new tool in PHMSA’s pipeline safety enforcement tool box that can be issued to the entire industry or portion of the industry. Alerts on the other two rulemakings are forthcoming (i.e., the first of three final rules regarding natural gas pipelines and amendments to the liquid pipeline rules).
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PHMSA Publishes Long-Awaited Final Rules
Tomorrow’s Federal Register will include three final rules published by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) that have been years in the making: (1) Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines: Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure Reconfirmation, Expansion of Assessment Requirements, and Other Related Amendments; (2) Safety of Hazardous Liquid Pipelines; and (3) Enhanced Emergency Order Procedures. All three rules have been lingering at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review for at least several months, and probably none have been more anticipated than the gas transmission and liquid pipeline rules.
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Troutman Sanders Pipelaws Team Authors Article on the Pipeline Safety Act for Law360
Troutman Sanders Pipeline partners Catherine Little, Bob Hogfoss and Annie Cook authored an article published in Law360 on the Pipeline Safety Act reauthorization legislation currently in the U.S. House and Senate. The current authorization of federal pipeline safety laws and funding of the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) expires at the…
Pipeline Safety Act Reauthorization: Issues for Resolution
By Catherine D. Little, Annie M. Cook & Robert E. Hogfoss on
Posted in Federal/State Legislation, Legislation, Liquid, LNG, Natural Gas, PHMSA, Pipeline Safety Act
Both the Senate and the House now have bills in varying stages of review for reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act, which expires at the end of September. There are some notable differences in the bills, reflecting the Democratic majority in the House and the Republican majority in the Senate. Neither bill has been put before the entire chamber for a vote. If they do progress further, it remains to be seen how the bills will ultimately be reconciled.
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House Democrats Seek Bipartisan Support with Revised Pipeline Safety Bill
By Catherine D. Little, Annie M. Cook & Robert E. Hogfoss on
In an attempt to garner support from House Republicans following last week’s release of draft legislation to reauthorize the Pipeline Safety Act (PSA), Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a more bipartisan version, The Safer Pipelines Act of 2019, H.R. 3432. The revised bill was subsequently approved by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee and heads to the full committee for consideration and mark-up. At a minimum, it appears that legislators in the House are working towards issuing a bill prior to the August recess and reauthorization deadline of September 30, 2019. The revisions to the House pipeline safety seem designed to make a more palatable bill for the Senate as it contains some significant proposed changes from the prior discussion draft that was the subject of a contentious hearing in the House.
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Beyond the Scope of NOPVs – Recent Region Recommendations
By Catherine D. Little, Annie M. Cook & Robert E. Hogfoss on
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has recently issued some Region Recommendations in enforcement actions that have either added new material allegations or requested relief beyond that contained in the underlying matter. The Agency’s rules do not provide for Region Recommendations to be used in that manner. If PHMSA decides to add new allegations or seek additional relief in an enforcement action, the rules (and precedent) anticipate those modifications will be made through an amendment of the underlying enforcement documents. Amended enforcement documents, if material, allow a Respondent a new opportunity to request a Hearing. It is not clear why PHMSA has started issuing Region Recommendations in this manner, but if left unchallenged it may have the effect of circumventing additional or expanded Hearings.
Region Recommendations are intended to respond to information submitted by the Respondent and to recommend the terms of final action to either the Presiding Official (where there has been a Hearing) or to the Associate Administrator (when no Hearing has occurred but a respondent has issued additional information for Agency consideration). Region Recommendations are typically prepared only in contested matters, especially after a Hearing. Where a matter is not contested, then the enforcement documents as issued presumably state all relevant allegations and describe the relief requested, thus a Region Recommendation should be unnecessary.
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Pipeline Safety Draft Legislation Adds New Proposals to Reauthorization Debate
By Catherine D. Little, Annie M. Cook & Robert E. Hogfoss on
As the Pipeline Safety Act (PSA) reauthorization deadline approaches, the Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently released draft discussion legislation titled, The Safer Pipelines Act of 2019. The “discussion draft” was released in advance of a Committee hearing held on June 19, 2019. At the hearing, it became clear that the recent legislation was drafted behind closed doors and that it was not well received by the minority Republicans on the Committee or industry representatives.
With this most recent draft legislation, several noteworthy legislative changes are likely to be considered by the Committee, although two Committee Republicans questioned whether marking up the draft was worth the effort. Notably, PHMSA declined to participate in the hearing because it did not have sufficient time to review the draft. Industry trade group representatives provided testimony as well as a representative from the Pipeline Safety Trust. The more significant proposals are summarized below and relate to: (1) lowering the criminal liability standard; (2) expanding the definition of regulated gathering pipelines; (3) clarifying and expanding citizen suits; (4) substantially increasing the amount of operator information made available to local responders and to the public; and (5) other integrity management requirements regarding phasing out direct assessment and requiring automatic shut off valves for liquid pipelines. …
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DOT Issues Pipeline Safety Act Reauthorization Proposal
The Department of Transportation (DOT) released a legislative proposal to Congress on June 3, 2019, to reauthorize the federal Pipeline Safety Act (PSA or the Act) and continue funding the federal agency charged with implementing it, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). DOT’s press release states that the proposal, Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2019, will embrace innovation, clarify certain regulatory requirements to prevent incidents, “modernize” certain data collection, and enhance support for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. Proposals target a broad array of topics including pipeline construction review, permitting, and reporting, criminal penalties, updating certain reporting thresholds, industry collaboration, and the scope of federal and state pipeline partnerships. …
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