PHMSA 13-25
Contact: PHMSA Public Affairs, PHMSAPublicAffairs@dot.gov  
 

WASHINGTON –The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today announced pipeline inspection and enforcement (I&E) priorities, a first for the agency, focusing its regulatory oversight efforts on activities data show have the greatest impact on pipeline safety. These priorities are outlined in a memorandum to the staff of the Office of Pipeline Safety available on PHMSA’s website here. 

“PHMSA regulations should be used to ensure the safe transportation of energy products — not as a tool to drive fossil fuels out of business. Our new transparent, data-driven approach to enforcement will pinpoint key areas of concern, keep communities safe, and refocus PHMSA on its core mission – improving pipeline safety," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.

The memo directs PHMSA I&E staff to concentrate their efforts on five priority areas:

• Incidents and Accidents;
• High and Moderate Consequence Areas;
• Control Room Management and Leak Detection;
• Damage Prevention; and 
• Transactions and Due Diligence

“We will continue to hold operators to the highest, most stringent safety standards,” said PHMSA Acting Administrator Ben Kochman. “We won’t hesitate to use every enforcement tool at our disposal when those standards aren’t met.”

PHMSA I&E staff will also prioritize inspecting to confirm operator compliance with recent rulemakings developed in response to significant accidents and incidents. These include requirements for rupture mitigation valves, verification of pipeline materials, reconfirmation of Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure, and Underground Natural Gas Storage facility safety. 

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s mission is to protect people and the environment by advancing the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials that are essential to our daily lives. Please visit https://www.phmsa.dot.gov for more information.

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