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§192.727 — Abandonment or deactivation of facilities (a) Each operator shall conduct abandonment or deactivation of pipelines in accordance with the requirements of this section. |
(b) Each pipeline abandoned in place must be disconnected from all sources and supplies of gas; purged of gas; in the case of offshore pipelines, filled with water or inert materials; and sealed at the ends. However, the pipeline need not be purged when the volume of gas is so small that there is no potential hazard. |
(c) Except for service lines, each inactive pipeline that is not being maintained under this part must be disconnected from all sources and supplies of gas; purged of gas; in the case of offshore pipelines, filled with water or inert materials; and sealed at the ends. However, the pipeline need not be purged when the volume of gas is so small that there is no potential hazard. |
(d) Whenever service to a customer is discontinued, one of the following must be complied with: (1) The valve that is closed to prevent the flow of gas to the customer must be provided with a locking device or other means designed to prevent the opening of the valve by persons other than those authorized by the operator. |
(2) A mechanical device or fitting that will prevent the flow of gas must be installed in the service line or in the meter assembly. |
(3) The customer's piping must be physically disconnected from the gas supply and the open pipe ends sealed. |
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(e) If air is used for purging, the operator shall insure that a combustible mixture is not present after purging. |
(f) Each abandoned vault must be filled with a suitable compacted material. |
(g) For each abandoned offshore pipeline facility or each abandoned onshore pipeline facility that crosses over, under or through a commercially navigable waterway, the last operator of that facility must file a report upon abandonment of that facility. (1) The preferred method to submit data on pipeline facilities abandoned after October 10, 2000 is to the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) in accordance with the NPMS "Standards for Pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas Operator Submissions." To obtain a copy of the NPMS Standards, please refer to the NPMS homepage at http://www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov or contact the NPMS National Repository at 703-317-3073. A digital data format is preferred, but hard copy submissions are acceptable if they comply with the NPMS Standards. In addition to the NPMS-required attributes, operators must submit the date of abandonment, diameter, method of abandonment, and certification that, to the best of the operator's knowledge, all of the reasonably available information requested was provided and, to the best of the operator's knowledge, the abandonment was completed in accordance with applicable laws. Refer to the NPMS Standards for details in preparing your data for submission. The NPMS Standards also include details of how to submit data. Alternatively, operators may submit reports by mail, fax or e-mail to the Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Information Resources Manager, PHP-10, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001; fax (202) 366-4566; e-mail [email protected]. The information in the report must contain all reasonably available information related to the facility, including information in the possession of a third party. The report must contain the location, size, date, method of abandonment, and a certification that the facility has been abandoned in accordance with all applicable laws. |
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[Amdt. 192-8, 37 FR 20695, Oct. 3, 1972, as amended by Amdt. 192-27, 41 FR 34607, Aug. 16, 1976; Amdt. 192-71, 59 FR 6585, Feb. 11, 1994; Amdt. 192-89, 65 FR 54443, Sept. 8, 2000; 65 FR 57861, Sept. 26, 2000; 70 FR 11139, Mar. 8, 2005; Amdt. 192-103, 72 FR 4656, Feb. 1, 2007; 73 FR 16570, Mar. 28, 2008; 74 FR 2894, Jan. 16, 2009] Advisory Bulletin: Clarification of Terms Relating to Pipeline Operational Status. Question 1: Do PHMSA regulations recognize an "idle" status for a hazardous liquid or gas pipelines? PHMSA regulations do not recognize an "idle" status for a hazardous liquid or gas pipelines. The regulations consider pipelines to be either active and fully subject to all parts of the safety regulations or abandoned. The process and requirements for pipeline abandonment are captured in §§192.727 and 195.402(c)(10) for gas and hazardous liquid pipelines, respectively. Pipelines abandoned after the effective date of the regulations must comply with requirements to purge all combustibles and seal any facilities left in place. The last owner or operator of abandoned offshore facilities and abandoned onshore facilities that cross over, under, or through commercially navigable waterways must file a report with PHMSA. PHMSA regulations define the term "abandoned" to mean permanently removed from service. Companies that own pipelines abandoned prior to the effective date of the abandonment regulations may not have access to records relating to where these pipelines are located or whether they were properly purged of combustibles and sealed. To the extent feasible, owners and operators have a responsibility to assure facilities for which they are responsible or last owned do not present a hazard to people, property or the environment. Pipelines not currently in operation are sometimes informally referred to as "idled", "inactive", or "decommissioned". These pipelines may be shut down and still contain hazardous liquids or gas. Usually, the mainline valves on these pipelines are closed, isolating them from other pipeline segments. If a pipeline is not properly abandoned and may be used in the future for transportation of hazardous liquid or gas, PHMSA regulations consider it as an active pipeline. Owners and operators of pipelines that are not operating but contain hazardous liquids and gas must comply with all applicable safety requirements, including periodic maintenance, integrity management assessments, damage prevention programs, response planning, and public awareness programs. PHMSA is aware that some owners and operators may properly purge a pipeline of combustibles with the expectation to later use that pipeline in hazardous materials transportation. A purged pipeline presents different risks, and therefore different regulatory treatment may be appropriate. Degradation of such a pipeline can occur, but is not likely to result in significant safety impacts to people, property, or the environment. PHMSA will accept deferral of certain activities for purged but active pipelines. These deferred activities might include actions impractical on most purged pipelines, such as in-line inspection. PHMSA is considering proposing procedures in a future rulemaking that would address methods owners or operators could use to notify regulators of purged but active pipelines. In the interim, owners or operators planning to defer certain activities for purged pipelines should coordinate the deferral in advance with regulators. All deferred activities must be completed prior to, or as part of, any later return-to-service. Pipeline owners and operators are fully responsible for the safety of their pipeline facilities at all times and during all operational statuses.
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