Federal Safety Standards For Gas Pipelines (A Guide For Industry)

Abstract

Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussions may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines. Introduction Purpose Purpose The purpose of this guide is to assist the regulated industry in achieving a satisfactory level of safety through a better understanding of the meaning and intent of the minimum Federal Safety Standards. Need for the Study Gas pipeline operators face many challenges in their day-today activities. One area where a good strategy can help the operator allocate his resources purposefully is in the application of pipeline safety. Method and Scope of Investigation The information for this study was obtained from available literature and through personal pipeline safety experience. personal pipeline safety experience. The scope of this investigation is limited to those considerations that would be of interest to gas pipeline operators. These facts are discussed under the following three headings:Federal Safety Standards as minimum requirements,operator's responsibility in pipeline safety, andplanning for safety in system operations. planning for safety in system operations. DISCUSSION Federal Safety Standards as Minimum Requirements The Federal Safety Standards (FSS) for gas pipelines establish minimum regulatory requirements for designing, constructing, testing, operating and maintaining gas pipeline systems. The operator determines pipeline systems. The operator determines the methods and procedures for achieving safety and the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) of the Department of Transportation monitors the industry's performance. Protecting the Public Protecting the Public The key to pipeline safety lies in Congress's intent of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968. The Act intended the promulgation of rules and regulations for the promulgation of rules and regulations for the protection of the public and any conflict protection of the public and any conflict between the regulated industry and the regulators is resolved in the public interest. Two-Party Understanding. The gas pipeline industry recognizes the need for pipeline industry recognizes the need for safety regulation.