International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — Pipeline Safety Interpretation

Page 1April 30, 1975 Mr Eugene M. Roedder Business Manager Local No. 1439 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 2121 - 59th Street St. Louis, Missouri 63110 Dear Mr. Roedder: This responds to your letter of April 9, 1975, requesting certain information relevant to pipeline safety. Pipeline safety studies by this Office which are the subject of outside contracts are being made available upon completion of the contract through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, Virginia 22151. Other studies underway are for internal use and are not prepared for publication. The following studies are being made available through NTIS: 1. Study of the technology of current practices for transporting, transferring, and storing LNG. 2. State-of-the-art study on liquefied petroleum gas pipeline facilities. 3. Study of the liquid and gas pipeline industry practices concerning shutdown of failed facilities and pressure limiting devices. 4. Study of odorants and their effectiveness in alerting people to the presence of natural gas. 5. Tools and procedures study for assessing the safety of existing gas distribution systems. 6. Study of practices in using plastic materials in gas pipelinefacilities. 7. Study of current practices, technologies, problems, and recommendations relating to the overall safety of gas pipeline distribution systems. We have added your name to our list of persons to receive copies of new pipeline safety regulations this Office proposes by notice in the Federal Register. dal\192\467\75-04-30 1#

Page 2You asked for copies of planned rules concerning plastic gas lines and line marking. We have enclosed recent amendments to the Federal gas pipeline safety standards dealing with these subjects: Amendment 192-19: Qualification for Use of Plastic Pipe Amendment 192-20: Line Markers for Mains and Transmission Lines Also enclosed is a copy of Notice 75-1 concerning emergency procedures for gas utilities. The safety problem of installing a gas and electric line in the same trench is addressed by Section 192.467 of the Federal standards, a copy of which is enclosed. We are not currently considering further regulation in this area. We appreciate your interest in pipeline safety. Sincerely, Joseph C. Caldwell Director Office of Pipeline Safety Enclosures dal\192\467\75-04-30 2#