Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez, head of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), has signed a long-awaited rulemaking package that makes critical safety improvements for hazardous liquid pipelines. The signing of the final rule for the safety of on-shore, hazardous liquid pipelines completes one of the agency's top priority rulemakings for 2016.
The rule includes an increased focus on a data- and risk-informed approach to pipeline safety by requiring operators to integrate available data, including data on the operating environment, pipeline condition, and known manufacturing and construction defects. The rule requires pipeline operators to have a system for detecting leaks and to establish a timeline for inspecting affected pipelines following an extreme weather event or natural disaster.
For more information, visit www.Phmsa.dot.gov or call (202) 366-4433.
