NTSB Safety Recommendation Letter P-18-005 through P-18-009

Page 1Official PDFThe following Safety Recommendations were issued as a result of NTSB Pipeline Safety Recommendation Report “Natural Gas Distribution System Project Development and Review (Urgent). ” Report Number PSR-18-02. Adopted on November 14, 2018. Published on November 14, 2018. Safety Recommendation Number Safety Recommendation Recipient Safety Recommendation Text Priority P-18-005 Commonwealth of Massachusetts Eliminate the professional engineer licensure exemption for public utility work and require a professional engineer’s seal on public utility engineering drawings. P-18-006 NiSource Revise the engineering plan and constructability review process across all of your subsidiaries to ensure that all applicable departments review construction documents for accuracy, completeness, and correctness, and that the documents or plans be sealed by a professional engineer prior to commencing work. (Urgent) Urgent P-18-007 NiSource Review and ensure that all records and documentation of your natural gas systems are traceable, reliable, and complete. (Urgent) Urgent P-18-008 NiSource Apply management of change process to all changes to adequately identify system threats that could result in a Urgent 1#

Page 2Safety Recommendation Number Safety Recommendation Recipient Safety Recommendation Text Priority common mode failure. (Urgent) P-18-009 NiSource Develop and implement control procedures during modifications to gas mains to mitigate the risks identified during management of change operations. Gas main pressures should be continually monitored during these modifications and assets should be placed at critical locations to immediately shut down the system if abnormal operations are detected. (Urgent) Urgent 2#

Page 3November 15, 2018 Mr. Joseph Hamrock Chief Executive Officer NiSource, Inc. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in other modes of transportation—railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline. We determine the probable cause of the accidents and issue safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. In addition, we carry out special studies concerning transportation safety and coordinate the resources of the federal government and other organizations to provide assistance to victims and their family members affected by major transportation disasters. On November 14, 2018, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) adopted its safety recommendation report, Natural Gas Distribution System Project Development and Review PSR-18/02. The details of this safety recommendation report may be found at http://www.ntsb.gov. Among the safety recommendations are four urgent safety recommendations issued to NiSource, Inc., which can be found on page 7 of the report. The NTSB is vitally interested in these recommendations because they are designed to prevent accidents and save lives. We would appreciate a response within 30 days, detailing the actions you have taken or intend to take to implement these recommendations. When replying, please refer to the safety recommendations 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. CORRESPONDENCE National Transportation Safety Board 490 L’Enfant Plaza E, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20594 correspondence@ntsb.gov 3#

Page 4November 15, 2018 The Honorable Charlie Baker Governor Commonwealth of Massachusetts The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in other modes of transportation—railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline. We determine the probable cause of the accidents and issue safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. In addition, we carry out special studies concerning transportation safety and coordinate the resources of the federal government and other organizations to provide assistance to victims and their family members affected by major transportation disasters. On November 14, 2018, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) adopted its safety recommendation report, Natural Gas Distribution System Project Development and Review PSR-18/02. The details of this safety recommendation report may be found at http://www.ntsb.gov. Among the safety recommendations is one issued to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which can be found on page 7 of the report. The NTSB is vitally interested in is recommendation because it is designed to prevent accidents and save lives. We would appreciate a response within 90 days, detailing the actions you have taken or intend to take to implement these recommendations. 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. CORRESPONDENCE National Transportation Safety Board 490 L’Enfant Plaza E, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20594 correspondence@ntsb.gov 4#