{"operation":"document","citation":"PI-83-002","title":"Northern Natural Gas Company — Pipeline Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"1983-02-10","effective_on":null,"summary":"PI-83-002 response to Northern Natural Gas Company concerning 192.703.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-83-002.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-83-002.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-83-002","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1983/PI83002.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nFebruary 10, 1983\nMs. Evangeline Levison\nAttorney\nNorthern Natural Gas Company\n2223 Dodge Street\nOmaha, Nebraska 68102\nDear Ms. Levison:\nYour letter of February 1, 1983, regarding your telephone conversation with Mr. Robert Langley\non January 5, 1983, appears to adequately cover Mr. Langley's remarks to you.\nAs you mentioned, Northern Natural Gas must still comply with Subpart L, Operations, and\nSubpart M, Maintenance, of 49 CFR Part 192. The requirement of §192.703(b) has the greatest\nsignificance for the particular situation described. As was discussed, paragraph (b) states:\nEach segment of pipeline that becomes unsafe must be replaced, repaired, or removed\nfrom service.\nThe determination of whether or not a particular segment of pipeline is unsafe and whether or not\nit is in compliance with Part 192 is made by the materials Transportation Bureau's Office of\nOperations and Enforcement (OOE) through a field office or a State agency. For this reason, a\ncopy of this letter is being forwarded to the OOE Central Region Office in Kansas City, Missouri.\nWe trust this helps to further clarify our answer in this matter.\nSincerely,\nRichard L. Beam\nAssociate Director for\nPipeline Safety Regulation\nMaterials Transportation Bureau\ndal\\192\\703\\83-02-10\n1\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nFebruary 1, 1983\nMr. Robert Langley\nOffice of Pipeline Safety\nDepartment of Transportation\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nDear Mr. Langley:\nThis letter is in confirmation of our January 5, 1983 telephone conversation regarding the\nnecessity for Northern Natural Gas Company, Division of InterNorth, Inc., to lower a pipeline in a\ncreek which becomes partially exposed during periods of low rainfall. When the pipeline was\noriginally installed by Northern Natural Gas Company, although the path of the creek crossed the\npipeline, the pipe was buried sufficiently deep as to not be exposed. Subsequent to that time the\nowner of the farm on which the pipeline was installed decided to straighten the path of the creek.\nAs a result, the pipeline is partially exposed at the point where the creek now crosses it when the\nwater level in the creek is at a low.\nTitle 49, Code of Federal Regulations, §192.327(a) requires transmission lines in Class 1\nlocations be buried with 30 inches of cover. This section does not apply to pipeline installed prior\nto March 12, 1971 unless the pipeline has been replaced, relocated or otherwise changed since\n1970. 49 CFR 192.13(b). This pipeline was installed prior to March 12, 1971, and my question\nto you was whether the straightening of the creek constituted a pipeline relocation under\n192.13(b), thus making the pipeline subject to the 192.327(a) requirement of 30 inches of cover.\nWe have reviewed the situation and are in agreement with your opinion that the relocation\nof the creek does not constitute a relocation of the pipeline. Thus, this pipeline is exempt from\nthe 49 CFR §192.327(a) cover requirements. However, we are aware that Northern Natural Gas\nmust still comply with Subpart L, Operations, and Subpart M, Maintenance.\nThank you for your assistance in this matter.\nVery truly yours,\ndal\\192\\703\\83-02-10\n2\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nEvangeline Levison\nAttorney\ndal\\192\\703\\83-02-10\n3","truncated":false,"body_characters":3208}