Public Utility Commissioner of Oregon — Pipeline Safety Interpretation

Page 1December 15, 1981 Mr. H. R. Garabrant Public Utility Commissioner of Oregon Labor and Industries Building Salem, Oregon 97310 Dear Mr. Garabrant: Your letter of November 24, 1981, refers to our interpretation No. 81-5, and asks whether the steps required of an operator by §192.727(d) when service to a customer is discontinued would apply in situations such as emergency shutdown or planned maintenance where a service line is temporarily deactivated. As we stated in 81-5, discontinuance of service to the customer means that a service line is "not currently being used to provide gas service," and it does not mean "temporary closure for some purpose other than termination of service to the customer." Thus, "discontinuance" implies the customer will no longer be provided gas. A brief lapse in gas delivery, as during an outage, would not indicate an intent to "discontinue" service within the meaning of §192.727(d). Sincerely, Melvin A. Judah Acting Associate Director for Pipeline Safety Regulation Materials Transportation Bureau dal\192\727\81-12-15 1#