Natural gas pipelines have come a long way in their effort toprotect the public and environment from the potential threats posedby their systems, but the journey is far from over, says a keypipeline safety official with the Department of Transportation(DOT).

“I’m here to tell you that we’re not there yet,” said KelleyCoyner, administrator for DOT’s Research and Special ProgramsAdministration (RSPA) at the INGAA Foundation’s third annual NorthAmerican Pipeline Safety Summit in Washington D.C. yesterday. RSPAoversees the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS).

“Before us is the challenge of finishing our work. We must takeall the information operators have about risks to natural gaspipelines and address them comprehensively. We must also continueto improve our communication with the public and with state andlocal officials about what those risks are and how they’re beingaddressed,” she told a crowd of gas pipeline executives.

“Our best opportunity to do both effectively is to ensure thatCongress passes comprehensive, balanced, common sense pipelinesafety legislation this year. This is the next milestone in thejourney” for gas pipelines, Coyner noted. “Right now you have theopportunity to pass the most comprehensive pipeline safetylegislation in our nation’s history, and we must seize thatopportunity.” The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled mark-upon pipeline safety today.

In the wake of the explosion of a Texas Eastern Transmissionline in New Jersey in 1994, DOT learned that its inspections andenforcement actions weren’t enough to guarantee safety, she said.”Together, we have made much progress” since then. “Unfortunately,we were reminded by tragedy [in June 1999} that we need to continuethose efforts.” Coyner, of course, was referring to the explosionalong Olympic Pipe Line that killed three last year in Bellingham,WA.

“That catastrophic event underlined the importance ofcomprehensive integrity management, of public communication, ofdamage prevention and research.” DOT earlier this month said itwould impose a $3.05 million civil penalty against the productpipeline — the largest ever proposed for a pipeline operator.”…[W]hat we cited them for is instructive to all of us,” Coynersaid, enumerating the violations:

The segment of Olympic Pipe Line involved in the explosion hasbeen closed down since the accident in June. Some are questioningwhether OPS will permit it to start up again. “I think that if weare convinced that they’ve addressed the safety issues, we willallow it to open,” Coyner said at the INGAA summit. Olympic isowned by Equilon, GATX and BP Amoco.

Another lesson to be learned from Bellingham is the need toinvolve the public, she noted. “You could do everything in yourpower to implement integrity management on a pipeline, but if youhave not engaged the public and state and local officials, you willnot succeed……We find that they have a lot of valuableinformation to offer us in terms of how to ensure safety.”

The Clinton administration’s proposed pipeline safetylegislation would allow states to enter into agreements with DOT to”supplement” federal inspection oversight of interstate pipelines.But, Coyner stressed it would not give states the authority tocreate and enforce their own safety standards for interstate pipes— a major concern of gas pipelines.

The administration’s proposal, however, would strengthen theauthority of DOT to take enforcement action against those pipelinesthat — despite the tragedies in Bellingham and New Jersey —still refuse to follow proper pipeline safety practices, Coynersaid.

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