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The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a Notice of Limited Enforcement Discretion for the new regulatory requirements associated with the latest gas transmission pipeline rulemaking, Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines: Repair Criteria, Integrity Management Improvements, Cathodic Protection, Management of Change, and Other Related Amendments. The rule was published on August 24, 2022 and was expected go into effect on May 24, 2023. However, PHMSA “will exercise its inherent enforcement discretion to refrain from taking enforcement action alleging violations of the Final Rule requirements for nine additional months”, until February 24, 2024. PHMSA states in their notice that during the nine-month extension period, PHMSA will “prepare and issue guidance to aid operators in their compliance with the final rule.” Each state must independently follow PHMSA’s lead for the natural gas intrastate transmission pipelines that are regulated by state pipeline safety offices. Please be sure to verify with your state regulators that they will be following PHMSA’s lead with this discretion.

View the notice here. 

For questions on this article, please contact Erin Kurilla of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at ekurilla@apga.org.