Blogs

PHMSA’s Leak Detection & Repair Rule: Advisory Committee Meeting

By Erin Kurilla posted 25 days ago

  
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC) met last week—the second time in six months—to discuss the Leak Detection & Repair Rulemaking. From November 27 to December 1, 2023 the committee met to examine the contents of the rule. However, the conversations were characterized by extensive discussions and negotiations, largely due to the inherently technical, intricate and occasionally contentious nature of the proposals under consideration. 
 
The GPAC serves as a statutorily mandated advisory committee tasked with providing PHMSA and the Secretary of Transportation with recommendations concerning proposed rulemakings. Established to assess the technical feasibility, reasonableness, cost-effectiveness, and practicability of PHMSA's regulatory initiatives, the committee comprises 15 members, evenly distributed among federal and state governments, regulated industry, and the general public. APGA would like to thank Steve Squibb from City Utilities of Springfield for his invaluable representation of public gas systems on the advisory committee, as well as his unwavering dedication throughout the exhaustive deliberations on each facet of this rule.
 
Over the course of the two-and-a-half-day meeting, the GPAC successfully concluded discussions on the rule by addressing the remaining topics, including the rule’s applicability to gas gathering pipelines, leak surveys in LNG facilities and on hydrogen pipelines, the compliance deadline for the rule, and reporting requirements associated with the new regulations. Once promulgated, this rule will necessitate modifications to the leak survey and repair procedures of most operators. Here is a summary of the first meeting, and a summary of the second meeting will soon be available. It's worth noting that the GPAC's recommendations have significantly enhanced the practicability and cost-effectiveness of the original proposals.
 
Comments regarding last week’s meeting are due on April 29, 2024. APGA is collaborating with other pipeline industry trade associations to formulate comprehensive comments in response to the GPAC’s discussions. These comments represent the industry's final opportunity to articulate its position on PHMSA’s proposals and the GPAC’s recommendations. Following the receipt of comments, PHMSA staff will proceed to finalize the rule. It's important to note that the Final Rule necessitates several approvals before its publication. As of now, APGA anticipates the Final Rule to be published in December 2024. The anticipated compliance deadline, as suggested by the GPAC, is 36 months after the publication of the Final Rule.
 
More on 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.

Permalink