# Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission — Pipeline Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** PI-89-005  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 1989-05-17

PI-89-005 response to Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission concerning 192.365.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

May 17, 1989
Mr. Williams E. Smeigh, Jr.,
Supervisor
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
P.O. Box 3265
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Dear Mr. Smeigh:
Your May 9, 1989, letter requests guidance as to the meaning of "feasible" under 49 CFR
192.365(b), which reads:
(b) Outside valves. Each service line must have a shut-off location that, if feasible, is outside of the building.
Under Part 192, ordinary words, such as "feasible," that are not defined in §192.3 and do not have
a special pipeline meaning are used as they are commonly understood by English speaking people
in the U.S. In this sense, the word "feasible" means capable of being done or accomplished.
Given this understanding, we believe a situation would seldom occur in which it is not feasible to
install a service line shut-off valve outside a building in a readily accessible location. Certainly,
none of the excuses put forth in your letter allows an operator to avoid outside installation under
§192.365(b). Outside installations by the other operators under your jurisdiction in similar
situations should readily support this position.
valve in a readily accessible
Sincerely,
Richard L. Beam
Director
Office of Pipeline Safety
dal\192\365\89-05-17
1

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1989/PI89005.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `f7561cf8dc10201263fb48e0b428f5551ced5052de7a4da0f89dbbcfafe6ba64`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-25T07:07:43.005Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-pi-89-005`

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```