Hazardous

In tandem with its counterpart regulators in Canada, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday issued a series of recommendations calling for tougher standards for rail shipments of crude oil in both nations. NTSB and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada issued the recommendations jointly in recognition that the same companies operate crude rail trains in both nations, frequently crossing the U.S.-Canada border.

Responding in part to the derailment and explosion of a crude-laden tanker in Quebec in July, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed a rule aimed at improving the safety of the rail transportation of hazardous materials by tanker cars, as well as the rail transportation of shale oil.

The U.S. energy pipeline sector’s oil contingent is expressing concerns about the studies used by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to develop new safety requirements for natural gas pipelines.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed changes to its Part 190 procedural rules to broaden enforcement powers as called for in a bill that President Obama signed into law earlier this year (see NGI, Jan. 9). Congress passed the legislation following fatal pipeline explosions in San Bruno, CA, and Allentown, PA (see NGI, Feb. 14, 2011; Oct. 18, 2010). Key proposed changes include: increase in the administrative civil penalty caps to $200,000/violation/day and up to $2 million for related violations; authority to seek civil penalties for obstructions of inspections or investigations; more power to issue subpoenas; prohibits ex parte communications; and adds references to PHMSA’s new authority under the Clean Water Act to enforce its oil spill plan regulations. Comments on PHMSA’s notice of proposed changes are due on Sept. 12.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed several changes to its Part 190 procedural rules that would broaden its enforcement powers as called for in a pipeline safety bill that President Obama signed into law earlier this year (see Daily GPI, Jan. 4).

The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is seeking comments on a request it plans to make to the Office of Management and Budget to gather information on excess flow values (EFVs). The agency said it wants to collect data on operators’ experiences, practices, benefits and costs associated with the use of ETVs. An EFV is a device designed to limit the impact of a potential leak or explosion by restricting the flow of natural gas if a line is broken or damaged. The information to be collected is necessary to conduct a cost-bnefit analysis of requiring an expansion of the use of EFVs, the PHMSA said. Comments should be submitted by July 16 to http://www.regulations.gov or by mail to the Docket Management Facility; DOT, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is seeking comments on a request it plans to make to the Office of Management and Budget to gather information on excess flow values (EFVs). The agency said it wants to collect data on operators’ experiences, practices, benefits and costs associated with the use of ETVs. An EFV is a device designed to limit the impact of a potential leak or explosion by restricting the flow of natural gas if a line is broken or damaged. The information to be collected is necessary to conduct a cost-bnefit analysis of requiring an expansion of the use of EFVs, the PHMSA said. Comments should be submitted by July 16 to http://www.regulations.gov or by mail to the Docket Management Facility; DOT, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a proposal seeking to strengthen the federal-state relationship with respect to pipeline damage prevention, as well as the enforcement process.

The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration (PHMSA), accusing the U.S. Department of Transportation unit of having “abjectly failed” to enforce pipeline safety regulations prior to the fatal natural gas transmission pipeline rupture and explosion in neighboring San Bruno.