The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC) met last week for over 50 hours to discuss the Leak Detection & Repair Rulemaking.
The GPAC is a statutorily mandated advisory committee that provides PHMSA and the Secretary of Transportation with recommendations on proposed rulemakings. The committee was established to review PHMSA's regulatory initiatives and determine their technical feasibility, reasonableness, cost-effectiveness, and practicability. The committee consists of 15 members, with membership evenly divided among federal and state governments, regulated industry, and the general public. APGA would like to thank Steve Squibb from City Utilities of Springfield, MO for his representation of public gas systems on the advisory committee and enduring hours upon hours of contemplation of each and every element of this rule.
During the five-day meeting, the GPAC was able to cover the following topics in the rule: Leak Survey Frequencies, Advanced Leak Detection Programs, Leak Grading & Repair, Transmission Patrol Frequencies, Transmission Blowdown Mitigation, and Pressure Relief Device Design & Maintenance. Once promulgated, this rule will require modifications to most operators’ leak survey and repair procedures. However, the GPAC’s recommendations significantly improved the practicability and cost-effectiveness of proposed changes. The GPAC will reconvene in the new year to finish discussing the remaining elements of the rule, including the compliance deadline, new definitions introduced through this rule, and impacts to Operator Qualification. The delay in finishing the GPAC review of the rule will ultimately delay the rule’s finalization.
A link to the meeting can be found here.
For questions on this article, please contact Erin Kurilla of APGA staff by phone at 202-544-1334 or by email at ekurilla@apga.org.