Regulatory Drivers

Cased Crossings and Guided Wave Ultrasonics

When transmission pipelines traverse through areas of high consequence to people, property or the environment, they are required to follow PHMSA's Integrity Management (IM) requirements. An IM approach identifies specific threats to the pipeline that operators must address through a plan to...

UNGS Major Incidents

On October 23, 2015, an underground natural gas storage well, Southern California Gas Company’s (SoCal Gas) Aliso Canyon Well SS25, failed. The failure resulted in a sustained and uncontrolled natural gas leak in an area known as Porter Ranch in Los Angeles, California. Over 5,000...

February 2018 presentation to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association

Pipeline Safety: Safety of Underground Natural Gas Storage Facilities AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Department of Transportation (DOT). Interim final rule. 81 FR 91860 [Docket No. PHMSA–2016–0016; Amdt. Nos. 191–

Interim Guidelines for Confirming Pipe Strength in Pipe Susceptible to Low Yield Strength for Gas Pipelines, September 10, 2009

Interim Guidelines for Confirming Pipe Strength in Pipe Susceptible to Low Yield Strength for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines, October 6, 2009

PHMSA issued Advisory Bulletin 09-01 on May 21, 2009

Alternative MAOP

PHMSA amended the pipeline safety regulations to prescribe safety requirements for the operation of certain gas transmission pipelines at pressures based on higher operating stress levels. The result is an increase of maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) over that currently allowed in the...

PI-18-0011 PDF