The US Department of Transportation's (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued an advisory bulletin to clarify the regulatory requirements for classifying ßÏÀÖÔ° based on their operational status. The bulletin outlines the procedures for changing the status of a pipeline facility from ‘active’ to ‘abandoned’ for owners and operators of gas and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities and federal and state pipeline safety personnel.
In 2014, a pipeline failure that allowed 1200 gal. of crude oil to seep into a residential neighborhood near Los Angeles raised concerns about the need to remind pipeline operators about the proper way to purge and clean inactive ßÏÀÖÔ°. This action makes it clear that federal regulations consider ßÏÀÖÔ° to be either active and fully subject to all parts of the safety regulations or abandoned.
PHMSA is working to implement the Protecting our Infrastructure of ßÏÀÖÔ° and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2016, which was enacted in June. Today's notice fulfills a requirement from Section 23 of the PIPES Act that mandates DOT issue an advisory bulletin to the pipeline industry regarding procedures to change the status of a pipeline facility from active to abandoned.
Adapted from press release byÂ