PHMSA published two advisory bulletins in today’s Federal Register which respond to safety recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board following natural gas distribution pipeline related incidents in Silver Spring, Maryland in August 2016 and Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts in September 2018.  

The advisory bulletins published today include:

• ADB 2020-01 – Inside Meters and Regulators:  The advisory alerts owners and operators of natural gas distribution pipelines to the consequences of failures of inside meters and regulators.  The advisory also reminds operators of existing federal regulations covering the installation and maintenance of inside meters and regulators, including the integrity management regulations for natural gas distribution systems to reduce the risks associated with failures of inside meter and regulator installations.  

• ADB-2020-02 – Overpressure Protection on Low-Pressure Natural Gas Distribution Systems:  The advisory reminds owners and operators of natural gas distribution pipelines of the possibility of failure due to an overpressurization on low-pressure distribution systems.  The advisory also reminds such owners and operators of existing federal integrity management regulations for gas distribution systems.

For more details regarding each advisory, including links to the full documents, select the links above or the related links section on this page.