{"operation":"document","citation":"PI-92-056","title":"Freeport Sulphur Company — Pipeline Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"1992-10-21","effective_on":null,"summary":"PI-92-056 response to Freeport Sulphur Company concerning 192.612.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-92-056.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-92-056.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-92-056","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1992/PI92056.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nOctober 21, 1992\nMr. R. G. Olivir\nFreeport Sulphur Company\nP. O. Box 61520\nNew Orleans, LA 70161\nDear Mr. Olivir:\nWe have reviewed your petition (P-92-3W) requesting a waiver from compliance with the\ninspection requirements of 49 CFR §192.612. The petition requests an exemption for the\nFreeport Pipeline traveling offshore in Grand Isle, Louisiana because: 1) the pipeline was\ninstalled in the 1960's with at least six feet of seabed cover, 2) a prior inspection of a section of\nthe pipeline in 1987 revealed that it had 13 feet of cover, and 3) you anticipate that the pipeline\nwill be abandoned within three to five years.\nSection 192.612 implements Public Law 101-599, which was enacted to determine the extent to\nwhich pipelines in shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico may be a hazard to fishing vessels.\nSection 192.612 requires that operators of such pipelines conduct an underwater inspection\nbetween October 3, 1989, and November 16, 1992. If an operator discovers a pipeline that it\noperates is exposed on the seabed or constitutes a hazard to navigation, it shall take prompt\naction as defined in §192.612 to minimize and eliminate the hazard.\nWe must decline to grant the waiver for the following reasons:\nFirstly, given the changing nature of the Gulf, the fact that an operator installed a pipeline in the\n1960's with at least six feet of seabed cover does not imply that same pipeline is not exposed or a\nhazard to navigation during the applicable period of the regulation. Secondly, the fact that an\noperator found that a particular section of the pipeline had 13 feet of cover in 1987 does not\nimply that no part of the pipeline is exposed or a hazard to navigation during the applicable period\nof the regulation.\nLastly, the fact that the operator anticipates abandonment of the pipeline within 3 to 5 years is not\nrelevant to pipeline safety under the requirements of §192.612, because abandoned pipelines can\nstill be a hazard to navigation if not properly buried.\nSincerely,\nGeorge W. Tenley, Jr.\nAssociate Administrator for\nPipeline Safety\ndal\\192\\612\\92-10-21","truncated":false,"body_characters":2096}