{"operation":"document","citation":"PHMSA Guidance, Gathering Pipelines (FAQs)","title":"Gathering Pipelines (FAQs)","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2018-08-20","effective_on":"2018-08-20","summary":"Gathering Pipelines (FAQs) Document Gathering Pipelines FAQs.pdf (412.74 KB) Education and prevention are key components of pipeline safety, so in addition to learning more about gathering pipelines, the public should also remember to call 811, a nationwide toll-free number, before beginning a digging project to learn the location of pipelines that may be underground. Issued Date: Monday, August 20, 2018","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-guidance-gathering-pipelines-faqs-09c0474e.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-guidance-gathering-pipelines-faqs-09c0474e.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-guidance-gathering-pipelines-faqs-09c0474e","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/regulatory-compliance/phmsa-guidance/gathering-pipelines-faqs","body":"Gathering Pipelines (FAQs)\n\nDocument\n\n Gathering Pipelines FAQs.pdf (412.74 KB)\n\n        Education and prevention are key components of pipeline safety, so in addition to learning more about gathering pipelines, the public should also remember to call 811, a nationwide toll-free number, before beginning a digging project to learn the location of pipelines that may be underground. \n\n          Issued Date: Monday, August 20, 2018\n\n<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nGathering Pipelines FAQs\nRecently the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has received numerous inquiries\nfrom the public about gathering pipelines. We present the following information based upon these\nrequests. Education and prevention are key components of pipeline safety, so in addition to learning\nmore about gathering pipelines, the public should also remember to call 811, a nationwide toll-free\nnumber, before beginning a digging project to learn the location of pipelines that may be underground.\nAlso visit PHMSA's State Pipeline Profiles to learn more about pipeline mileage, incident reports and the\nentities that regulate pipelines.\n1. What is a gathering pipeline?\nGathering pipelines transport gases and liquids from the commodity's source - like rock formations\nlocated far below the drilling site - to a processing facility, refinery or a transmission line. In the past,\nmost gathering lines were built in minimally populated areas, used smaller-diameter pipelines that\noperated at lower pressures, and appeared to pose a much lower risk than for other types of pipelines.\nAs our nation continues to grow, our populations are spreading to these once-rural locations, and an\nincreased demand for natural resources means exploring alternate methods of producing raw materials\nthat may come with some greater risk. Pipelines are currently still the safest means of transporting\nhazardous liquids and natural gas.\n2. Who regulates gathering pipelines?\nBoth the federal government and the states have jurisdiction over gathering pipelines, which is\nestimated to include 240,000 miles of onshore gathering pipelines. The Pipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety Administration regulates both natural gas gathering pipelines and hazardous liquid\ngathering pipelines.\n3. The recent GAO report says that PHMSA has the authority to at least collect data on unregulated\npipelines. Why don't you?\nWe are in the process of doing just that. The Pipeline Safety Act of 1992 gave PHMSA the authority to\nregulate rural gas gathering lines. To exercise that authority, PHMSA had to first undergo a rulemaking\nprocess to define the terms \"gathering line\" and \"regulated gathering line,\" and take into consideration\ncertain factors in making that decision, including the operational, functional, and specific physical\ncharacteristics of those lines.\nBoth the definition of a gathering pipeline and the way they are employed has changed considerably\nsince the enactment of the Pipeline Safety Act and other federal laws that regulate pipeline facilities and\npipeline operators. PHMSA recognizes that the state of onshore gathering pipeline safety is evolving,\nand is in the process of collecting new information about gathering pipelines in an effort to better\nunderstand the risks they may now pose to people and the environment. PHMSA recently issued two\nadvanced notices of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on whether it should enact\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nregulation and require data submission similar to what is currently collected on regulated gathering\npipelines.\n4. What are the concerns in regard to unregulated gathering lines?\nMost commonly reported concerns are with limited information about pipeline construction quality,\nmaintenance practices, location and Pipeline Integrity Management.\n5. Are gathering lines the only pipelines PHMSA regulates?\nNo. PHMSA regulates more than 2.5 million miles of America's pipeline network, which includes\ntransmission and distribution pipelines, and has been working diligently to ensure that pipelines are\noperating as safely as possible. Last year, PHMSA closed more than 100 enforcement cases on safety\nviolators, the most in a single year since 2002.\n6. With the increased interest in tapping natural gas in shale deposits, won't that mean MORE\nunregulated gathering lines?\nPHMSA is currently considering regulating these gathering pipelines. The lines being put into service in\nthe various shale plays like Marcellus, Utica, Barnett and Bakken are generally of much larger diameter\nand operating at higher pressure than traditional rural gas gathering lines, increasing the concern for\nsafety of the environment and people near operations. Data collected about these new gathering\npipelines would contribute to a body of public knowledge enabling safer and more reliable pipeline\noperations.\n7. If regulation is eventually extended to all onshore gathering pipelines, who will be in charge of\nregulating them?\nMost onshore gathering pipelines begin and end in the same state. While PHMSA is responsible for\nconducting inspections on pipelines that cross state boundaries, individual states' certified pipeline\nsafety agencies govern lines that do not. When intrastate pipelines are regulated by these agencies\nthrough adoption and enforcement of PHMSA safety standards, PHMSA's role is to oversee state agency\nperformance. The state maintains direct regulatory authority.","truncated":false,"body_characters":5392}