Last month we wrote about the reminder that PHMSA sent out regarding pipeline owner and operator obligations under the PIPES Act of 2020. The benefit to pipe people is the sales of material for pipeline repairs. It is important to note that these regulations cover all pipelines (gathering, distribution, and transmission) – even those not federally regulated. Gathering lines are a good example. There are about 17,000 miles of gathering lines regulated by PHMSA but there are about 435,000 miles in total in the US. Regarding the greenhouse gas issue, researchers have estimated that distribution pipelines alone have about 630,000 leaks emitting 690k tons of methane annually. While we’re not necessarily a fan of more regulation, it will be important to the fossil fuel industry – and its suppliers – to do everything it can to be part of a future energy mix.
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