NTSB Safety Recommendation Letter P-17-001 through P-17-002

Page 1Official PDFNational Transportation Safety Board Washington, DC 20594 Safety Recommendation June 15, 2017 In reply refer to: P-17-1 P-17-2 Honorable Howard McMillian Acting Deputy Administrator and Executive Director Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration On June 5, 2017, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) adopted its report on the September 21, 2015, pipeline leak at a shopping center in Centreville, Virginia. 1 The details of this accident and the resulting safety recommendations may be found in the investigative report, which can be accessed at http://www.ntsb.gov under report number PAB-17/1. As a result of this investigation, the NTSB is issuing four new recommendations, including one to the Association of Oil Pipe Lines and the American Petroleum Institute, one to Colonial Pipeline Company, and the following two recommendations the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration: P-17-1 Work with pipeline trade and standards organizations to modify the pipeline dent acceptance criteria to account for all the factors that lead to pipe failures caused by dents, and promulgate regulations to require the new criteria be incorporated into integrity management programs. P-17-2 Require operators to either (a) repair all excavated dent defects, or (b) install a local leak detection system at each location where a dent is not repaired, continuously monitor for hydrocarbons, and promptly take corrective action to stop a detected leak. Acting Chairman SUMWALT, and Members HART, WEENER, and DINH-ZARR concurred in this recommendation. 1 National Transportation Safety Board, Colonial Pipeline Company Petroleum Product Leak, Centreville, Virginia, September 21, 2015, PAB-17/01 (Washington, DC: National Transportation Safety Board, 2017). 56874#

Page 22 The NTSB is vitally interested in this recommendation because it is designed to prevent accidents and save lives. We would appreciate a response detailing the actions you have taken or intend to take to implement these recommendations within 90 days. When replying, please refer to the safety recommendation by number. We encourage you to submit your response to correspondence@ntsb.gov. If it exceeds 10 megabytes, including attachments, please e-mail us at the same address for instructions. Please do not submit both an electronic copy and a hard copy of the same response. By: [Original Signed] Robert L. Sumwalt, III Acting Chairman#