On July 22-23, 2020, PHMSA will hold a public teleconference meeting of the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC) and the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee (LPAC) to discuss the Valve Installation and Minimum Rupture Detection Standards notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

GPAC and LPAC will meet in separate sessions to discuss the Valve Installation and Minimum Rupture Detection Standards NPRM that PHMSA published in the Federal Register on February 6, 2020, (85 FR 7162). GPAC and LPAC will review the NPRM and its associated regulatory analysis. In the NPRM, PHMSA proposed to revise the Pipeline Safety Regulations applicable to newly constructed and entirely replaced onshore natural gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines to mitigate ruptures. Additionally, PHMSA is revising the regulations regarding rupture detection to shorten pipeline segment isolation times. These proposals address congressional mandates, incorporate recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, and are necessary to reduce the consequences of large-volume, uncontrolled releases of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline ruptures.

Meeting schedule:

• GPAC will meet from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 22, 2020
• LPAC will meet from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 23, 2020

Members of the public who want to attend are asked to register no later than July 15, 2020. Individuals requiring disability accommodations should notify Tewabe Asebe by July 15, 2020.

PHMSA will publish the agenda and any additional information, including instructions on how to participate in the teleconference, on the meeting website. PHMSA will post any additional details on the meeting website in advance of the meetings.

View PHMSA's Federal Register Notice for more information.