# Virginia State Corporation Commission — Pipeline Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** PI-92-044  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 1992-09-09

PI-92-044 response to Virginia State Corporation Commission concerning 192.327.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

September 9, 1992
Mr. Massoud Tahamtani
Utilities Manager
Division of Energy Regulation
Virginia State Corporation Commission
Post Office Box 1197
Richmond, Virginia 23209
Dear Mr. Tahamtani:
Your letter of August 3, 1992, transmits an order by the Virginia State Corporation Commission
(Virginia) granting Virginia Natural Gas, Inc. (VNG) a waiver of 49 CFR 192.327(a) for a
particular pipeline. Section 192.327(a) requires each buried transmission line installed in normal
soil to have a minimum cover of 36 inches when located in drainage ditches of public roads.
In constructing the pipeline, VNG bored a distance of 554-feet under interstate highway I-295.
When the bore emerged on the side of the right-of-way, it had risen to a point 16 inches below
existing grade, which is less than the 36-inch depth required by §192.327(a). The petition
requested a waiver for an 87-foot section of pipe located beyond the toe of the bank of the
highway. Virginia has inspected the site and observed that VNG has installed pipeline warning
markers and warning tape showing the location of the pipeline for the section of pipeline requiring
waiver.
Based on the information provided in the application for waiver and since the section of pipeline
requiring waiver is located on the outer fringes of the Chickahominy River swamp wetlands, we
believe granting a waiver from §192.327(a) for the circumstances described would not be
inconsistent with pipeline safety. For this reason, we offer no objection to approval of the waiver.
Sincerely,
Cesar De Leon
Director, Regulatory Programs
Office of Pipeline Safety
dal\192\327\92-09-09

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1992/PI92044.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `8f5ada9f1da0e0b2b721b0b91e35c9262fb79d3aa5d85c810300c70cd451ca84`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-22T21:23:18.957Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-pi-92-044`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "materialSubtype": "interpretation",
  "interpretationArea": "pipeline_safety",
  "representation": "full_text_from_official_pdf",
  "companies": [
    "Virginia State Corporation Commission"
  ],
  "individuals": [
    "Massoud Tahamtani"
  ],
  "refIds": [
    "PI-92-044"
  ],
  "catalogDates": [
    "1992-09-09"
  ],
  "catalogParts": [
    192
  ],
  "catalogRowCount": 1,
  "sourceRecordUrls": [
    "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/node/58016"
  ],
  "linkedAttachmentUrls": [],
  "unavailableResponseUrls": [],
  "duplicateRepresentationUrls": [],
  "citedSections": [
    "192.327",
    "192.327(a)"
  ],
  "catalogPageUrls": [
    "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/192327"
  ],
  "pdfUrls": [
    "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1992/PI92044.pdf"
  ],
  "representations": [
    {
      "viewUrl": "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1992/PI92044.pdf",
      "detailUrl": null,
      "detailHtmlPath": null,
      "pdfUrl": "https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1992/PI92044.pdf",
      "pdfArtifactPath": "data/sources/phmsa-interpretations/pi-92-044.pdf",
      "pdfArtifactSha256": "0bbc27bc576f2ccd101cf06ce4eebaca6b736d5843e184739e939589f373c98e",
      "extractedTextPath": "data/sources/phmsa-interpretations/pi-92-044.v2.txt",
      "extractedTextSha256": "f7704c3d84e24a20da6e003546007517dd482d2953f6f37fe99a2bd730e8868e",
      "pageCount": 1,
      "extractionVersion": 2
    }
  ],
  "caveat": "Interpretations apply regulations to the facts presented and do not create independently enforceable requirements.",
  "jurisdiction": "US"
}
```