# Public Utility Commissioner of Oregon — Pipeline Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** PI-81-020  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 1981-12-15

PI-81-020 response to Public Utility Commissioner of Oregon concerning 192.727.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

December 15, 1981
Mr. H. R. Garabrant
Public Utility Commissioner of Oregon
Labor and Industries Building
Salem, Oregon 97310
Dear Mr. Garabrant:
Your letter of November 24, 1981, refers to our interpretation No. 81-5, and asks whether the
steps required of an operator by §192.727(d) when service to a customer is discontinued would
apply in situations such as emergency shutdown or planned maintenance where a service line is
temporarily deactivated.
As we stated in 81-5, discontinuance of service to the customer means that a service line is "not
currently being used to provide gas service," and it does not mean "temporary closure for some
purpose other than termination of service to the customer." Thus, "discontinuance" implies the
customer will no longer be provided gas. A brief lapse in gas delivery, as during an outage, would
not indicate an intent to "discontinue" service within the meaning of §192.727(d).
Sincerely,
Melvin A. Judah
Acting Associate Director for
Pipeline Safety Regulation
Materials Transportation Bureau
dal\192\727\81-12-15
1

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1981/PI81020.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `ba4fdaeacc7e9e065e7997658984e7a4e48037c821d6588cd189f425a07f108a`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-24T15:58:28.202Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-pi-81-020`

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