PHMSA Compliance

As part of our team’s review of the 2020 PHMSA Enforcement Actions related to the pipeline control room, we identified three pipeline alarm management violations of the PHMSA Control Room Management Rule (CRM Rule). The violations were found in Section E (Alarm Management) and Section J (Compliance and Deviations) of the CRM Rule. The issues …

PHMSA Enforcement Actions: Optimize Processes and Recordkeeping to Support Alarm Management Read More »

PHMSA publicly reports enforcement actions across all areas of pipeline operations, including the pipeline control room. Our team recently dug into the 2020 PHMSA Enforcement Actions related to violations of 49 CFR 192.631 and 49 CFR 195.446 control room management. We found several infractions related to missing, inadequate, or incomplete Control Room Management Plans (CRMPs). …

PHMSA Enforcement Actions Review: It’s Time to Update Your CRMP Read More »

Earlier this year, we noted that PHMSA was planning to inspect each pipeline’s control room within the next three years. Now, during the global pandemic, PHMSA has actually increased their pace of audits through virtual inspections. The increased rate of inspections has created a greater need to ensure audit readiness. While many pipeline operators and …

PHMSA Increasing Pace of Virtual Inspections — Are You Prepared? Read More »

Pipeline operators have many tools at their disposal to support pipeline safety and compliance. However, we have found that many operators have not implemented the appropriate tools or have gaps in their toolset to achieve what we call natural compliance. Why is natural compliance critical? Natural compliance occurs when pipeline personnel perform their daily tasks …

Does Your Pipeline Operation Have the Tools to Achieve Natural Compliance? Read More »

In October 2019, PHMSA published Part 1 of the Gas Gathering Rule focused on pipeline safety: “Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines: MAOP Reconfirmation, Expansion of Assessment Requirements, and Other Related Amendments.” Included in the Gas Transmission Final Rule was the introduction of new terminology to help pipeline operators validate the safety of pipeline assets that …

PHMSA Gas Gathering Rule: The Importance of TVC Records Read More »

Earlier this year, we relayed an update that PHMSA Enforcement Actions increased significantly in 2019 compared to 2018. Our team dug into the 223 reported enforcement cases and found 14 control room-specific cases. These “inadequacies” were related to several categories of the PHMSA Control Room Management Rule (CRM Rule). In some cases, there were multiple …

Learn From PHMSA Enforcement Actions: Addressing Control Room Challenges Read More »

On May 28, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced a proposed role for gas pipeline regulatory reform. PHMSA issued the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) aimed at reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens to align with recent executive orders (13771, 13777, and 13783) issued by the federal government. After conducting a review of existing …

PHMSA Announces Gas Pipeline Regulatory Reform to Reduce Regulatory Burdens Read More »