GOVERNMENT

摘要

Pipeline industry executives are pouring over the 500-plus page safety proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The initial comment deadline is at the end of May. PHMSA believes its proposed transmission pipeline safety mandates essentially codify in federal law what most responsible pipeline companies do already. The proposal adds to some requirements in integrity management (IM) programs, expands IM responsibilities to a new classification of "moderate consequence areas," and imposes new mandates on pipelines outside of high-(HCA) and moderate (MCA)-consequence areas, for example, to gathering lines.