# Chapter 420, § 1: General Provisions **Citation:** 65-407 C.M.R. ch. 420, § 1 **Type / status:** regulation / current **Agency:** Maine Public Utilities Commission **Effective:** 2026-06-30 **Published:** 2026-06-30 A. Scope ## Document text A. Scope This rule applies to all operators of gas utilities defined in 35-A M.R.S. §102(8) "Gas utility," all operators of gas pipelines as defined in 49 C.F.R. Part 192 except liquid propane gas distribution systems, and all natural gas pipeline utilities as defined in 35-A M.R.S. §102(10) "Natural Gas Pipeline utility"; provided that this rule does not apply to interstate natural gas pipeline facilities or interstate pipeline transportation. B. Applicable Codes 1. The minimum standards for operation of natural gas and liquefied natural gas pipeline facilities are established by adoption of the following federal regulations, including amendments thereto: a. The provisions of Parts 191, 192, and 193 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), including all amendments and revisions thereto, govern the design, fabrication, installation, inspection, reporting, testing, and the safety aspects of operation and maintenance of gas transmission and distribution systems, including gas pipelines, gas compressor stations, gas metering and regulating stations, gas mains, and service lines. b. Title 49 C.F.R. Part 190, "Pipeline Safety Programs and Rulemaking Procedures," and Part 198, "Regulations for Grants to Aid State Pipeline Safety Programs," including all amendments and revisions thereto, govern certain enforcement, one-call system, and other matters for the MPUC's pipeline safety program, in concert with the provisions of this Chapter. c. The provisions of 49 C.F.R. Part 199, including all amendments and revisions, which incorporate 49 C.F.R. Part 40 by reference, govern the drug testing inspection of operators of natural gas facilities. 2. Where Chapter 420 and Chapter 895 (Underground Facility Damage Prevention Requirements) establish more stringent requirements or requirements in addition to the federal pipeline safety regulations adopted pursuant to Section 1(B)(1)(a), (b) and (c) of this Chapter, the requirements set forth in Chapter 420 or Chapter 895 will apply. 3. Where this Chapter refers to "violations of this Chapter" or uses similar language, this means violations of Chapter 420 and the portions of Title 49 C.F.R. Parts 40, 190, 191, 192, 193, 198, and 199 incorporated above. ## Provenance - Official: Yes - Source: - Source ID: `me-puc-pipeline-safety` - SHA-256: `d51922cd8cb6c4bbaacb7cc56b65159aad8b46201ea8178d78eebd410b7989d9` - Retrieved: 2026-08-20T10:06:50.037Z - Exported: 2026-08-24T18:20:56.168Z - Document slug: `me-cmr-65-407-420-1` ### Source metadata ```json { "jurisdiction": "US-ME", "code": "65-407 C.M.R.", "chapter": "420", "section": "1", "corpusScope": "complete-current-chapters-420-and-421", "publicationObservedOn": "2026-08-20", "exactScope": "This bounded corpus contains the complete current operative text of all 10 top-level sections of 65-407 C.M.R. Chapter 420 and all 7 top-level sections of Chapter 421. Chapter 420 governs intrastate natural-gas and LNG pipeline operators; Chapter 421 separately governs jurisdictional LPG distribution systems within 49 C.F.R. Part 192.", "excludedScope": "Chapter 895 damage prevention, Chapters 130 and 140 reporting and mapping, gas accounting, rates, metering, customer protection, siting, environmental permits, statutes, dockets, orders, forms, federal text, interstate pipelines, hazardous-liquid pipelines, and private standards are not standalone searchable documents in this rules connector. Their exclusion does not imply legal irrelevance.", "applicabilityCaveat": "Maine's certified program covers intrastate gas pipeline operators, including covered natural-gas, LNG, and jurisdictional LPG facilities. Chapter 420 expressly excludes interstate natural-gas facilities and transportation. PHMSA retains gas interstate and gas/hazardous-liquid responsibilities not assumed by Maine; neither the MPUC program page nor PHMSA fact sheet establishes Maine hazardous-liquid certification.", "incorporationCaveat": "Chapter 420 dynamically incorporates amendments to 49 C.F.R. Parts 40, 190, 191, 192, 193, 198, and 199. Chapter 421 dynamically incorporates Parts 191 and 192 but fixes its NFPA 58 baseline to the 2004 edition with stated exceptions. This connector records those links without reproducing federal or private standards or deciding the legal effect of prospective incorporation.", "publicationCaveat": "The Maine Secretary of State warns that online rule copies are not certified copies for adjudicatory or evidentiary use. Chapter 420's controlling online copy is filing 2026-135, effective June 30, 2026; older MPUC gas pages that still identify the 2021 version are stale. Chapter 421's history says filing 2012-156 was filed May 15, 2010, an apparent source typo preserved rather than silently corrected. The PHMSA state page is corroborative program-scope evidence, not controlling Maine rule text.", "rightsCaveat": "Maine and federal government source artifacts are archived with attribution and SHA-256 provenance. Public availability does not settle rights in site presentation, seals, agency marks, forms, incorporated federal material, or private standards such as NFPA 58; downstream redistribution requires separate review.", "federalIncorporation": "dynamic", "references": [ { "citation": "49 CFR Part 192", "referenceType": "federal_regulation", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-192" }, { "citation": "49 CFR Part 190", "referenceType": "federal_regulation", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-190" }, { "citation": "49 CFR Part 199", "referenceType": "federal_regulation", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-199" }, { "citation": "49 CFR Part 40", "referenceType": "federal_regulation", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-A/part-40" }, { "citation": "49 CFR Part 191", "referenceType": "federal_regulation", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-191" }, { "citation": "49 CFR Part 193", "referenceType": "federal_regulation", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-193" }, { "citation": "49 CFR Part 198", "referenceType": "federal_regulation", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-198" }, { "citation": "65-407 C.M.R. ch. 420", "referenceType": "state_regulation", "url": "https://www.maine.gov/sos/sites/maine.gov.sos/files/inline-files/407c420-2026-135-AMD.docx" }, { "citation": "65-407 C.M.R. ch. 895", "referenceType": "state_regulation", "url": "https://www.maine.gov/sos/sites/maine.gov.sos/files/content/assets/407c895.docx" }, { "citation": "35-A M.R.S. § 102", "referenceType": "state_statute", "url": "https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/35-A/title35-Asec102.html" } ], "region": "ME" } ```