In response to these mandates, recommendations, lessons learned, and public input, PHMSA is making certain amendments to the Pipeline Safety Regulations affecting hazardous liquid pipelines. The first and second amendments extend reporting requirements to certain hazardous liquid gravity and rural gathering lines not currently regulated by PHMSA. The collection of information about these lines, including those that are not currently regulated, is authorized under the Pipeline Safety Laws, and the resulting data will assist in determining whether the existing Federal and State regulations for these lines and the scope of their applicability are adequate.

The third amendment requires inspections of pipelines in areas affected by extreme weather or natural disasters that could impose unexpected longitudinal or circumferential pipe loads, or other risks to the pipeline's integrity and continued safe operation. This provision affects all covered lines under § 195.1, whether they be onshore or offshore, and in a high consequence area (HCA) or outside an HCA. Such inspections will help to ensure that operators can safely operate pipelines after these events.

The fourth amendment requires integrity assessments at least once every 10 years, using inline inspection tools or other technology, as appropriate for the threat being assessed, of onshore, piggable, hazardous liquid pipeline segments located outside of HCAs. Existing regulations require operators to assess hazardous liquid pipeline segments located inside HCAs at least once every 5 years. These assessments will provide important information to operators about the condition of these pipelines, including the existence of internal and external corrosion and deformation anomalies.

The fifth amendment extends the required use of leak detection systems beyond HCAs to all regulated hazardous liquid pipelines, except for offshore gathering and regulated rural gathering pipelines. The use of such systems will help to mitigate the effects of hazardous liquid pipeline failures that occur outside of HCAs.

The sixth amendment requires that all pipelines in or affecting HCAs be capable of accommodating in-line inspection tools within 20 years unless the basic construction of a pipeline cannot be modified to permit that accommodation. In-line inspection tools are an effective means of assessing the integrity of a pipeline and broadening their use will improve the detection of anomalies and prevent or mitigate future accidents in high-risk areas. Finally, PHMSA is clarifying other regulations and is incorporating Sections 14 and 25 of the PIPES Act of 2016 to improve regulatory certainty and compliance.

¹ Exceptions and specific scope are listed in §§ 195.1, 195.13, 195,15.

² Exceptions and specific scope are listed in § 195.134.

³ Exceptions and specific scope are listed in §§ 195.416, 195.444, 195.452.