Flower Branch apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland, site of a deadly 2016 gas explosion. Photo: Jabin Botsford/Washington Post October 7, 2020 By Catherine D. Little, Annie M. Cook & Viktoriia De Las Casas in PIPELAWS.com The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued two Advisory Bulletins directed to natural gas distribution pipeline owners and operators. PHMSAContinue reading “PHMSA Advisories Target Distribution Pipeline Meters and Overpressure Protection”
Category Archives: Safety Recommendations
U.S. Government Accountability Office Issues Report on LNG Exports
GAO Report on Natural Gas Exports: Updated Guidance and Regulations Could Improve Facility Permitting Processes In 2019, about 39% of U.S. natural gas exports went through export facilities—in which the gas is liquefied and loaded onto ships for transport. Multiple federal agencies regulate export facility design. Federal guidance says that agencies should review regulations everyContinue reading “U.S. Government Accountability Office Issues Report on LNG Exports”
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Releases New Guidance Document for Boards of Directors and Executives Focused on High Hazard Accident Prevention in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry
Photo: Kris Krug Washington, D.C. – May 14, 2020 The CSB has released a new guidance document entitled, “CSB Best Practice Guidance for Corporate Boards of Directors and Executives in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry for Major Accident Prevention.” The new seven-page document is focused on the importance of the role of boards of directors and executivesContinue reading “U.S. Chemical Safety Board Releases New Guidance Document for Boards of Directors and Executives Focused on High Hazard Accident Prevention in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry”
API Issues Technical Standards for Only Larger-Sized Rural Gas Gathering Lines
Photo: Camp Viejo gas plant and gathering system/StakeholderMidstream.com Mike Soraghan, E&E News reporterPublished: Thursday, April 2, 2020 https://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1062753911 An oil and gas industry group has issued new guidelines for large gathering lines, which carry natural gas from well sites to processing facilities. But the new industry standard excludes gathering lines less than 12 inches in diameter, disappointing pipelineContinue reading “API Issues Technical Standards for Only Larger-Sized Rural Gas Gathering Lines”
Implementing the Recently Published Gas Transmission and Hazardous Liquid Final Rules- Documents Now Available
On February 26 & 27, 2020 PHMSA held public meetings for Pipeline Safety officials to discuss with pipeline safety stakeholders the implementation of the gas transmission and the hazardous liquid pipeline final rules published in the Federal Register on October 1, 2019. PHMSA made available for comment draft frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers forContinue reading “Implementing the Recently Published Gas Transmission and Hazardous Liquid Final Rules- Documents Now Available”
Overpressurized Gas Distribution System Caused Explosions, Fires: Columbia Gas of Massachusetts
National Transportation Safety Board News Release September 24, 2019 The National Transportation Safety Board determined Tuesday that Columbia Gas of Massachusetts’ deficiencies in management and oversight led to overpressurization of a natural gas distribution system which resulted in a series of fires and explosions in Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts. The Sept. 13, 2018, accident occurred after high-pressure natural gas wasContinue reading “Overpressurized Gas Distribution System Caused Explosions, Fires: Columbia Gas of Massachusetts”