Page 22 - West Virgina 2017 Issue 2

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“Pu blic perception may be more important than regulatory requirements"
eeently l was privileged to pipelines earrymg many ditterent kinds lntormation Reporting Tool), damages
have Rugu Cox (a wondertul ot products. The PSRs only apply ta to underground utilities today are less
man, a true leader in damage speeilie types at pipelines For example than halt what they were 10 years ago.
prevention, president at ACTS water and sewer lines are pipelines but but they are still oeeurring. Eaeh and

and a dear friend) in the audience as l the PSRs do not apply to water and every one ot the designated stakehalder
presented a short piece titled "Pipeline sewer lines. Leaks and ruptures behave groups eontinues to be atteeted by
Potpounl” at the mpelme satety & very ditterently depending an what ineidents assoeiated with pipelines
Awareness critieal lndustry summit at is in the line. Natural gas, crude oil, and, for that matter. damages to other
this year's Common Ground Alliance propane, gasoline, diesel tuel and many underground utilities.

(CGAD Cunvcntlon. I had talked a other gasses and llqulds am all camed _

_ what does all this have to do with
tew minutes about various pipeline by pipelines but behave very dlffumnlly bl ‘ d I I
regulatory issues, ineluding public when released trom a pipeline P“ ‘C l’““‘l’ ‘°“ "“ "5" “ “Y
education programs. Roger and l were Th _ i H ‘“ql‘;(““"‘“$" I_“’‘l‘}t‘‘‘ 7}“ P“""° d:’_°"
mung mm“ and M mmmd e common message or a _ no an new c rtgii a my reaiiireineii s
matter what is in the line, it you and it there is property damage,

that one ot my bullet points resonated

WM‘ hm‘ That bum Wm is ‘ht mm of recognize a leak or a pipeline rupture environmental impact, or it someone
ms Nude‘ 1. DO NOT do aiiythiiig that would gets ineonvenieneed, inpired or

create a spark arsouree of ignition. killed and a pipeline is suspeeted, the

The regulations at eoneern were 2. Get away frnm it - upwind or pipeline will get blamed. If the incident
the pipeline safety regulations, 49 uphill far enough that ymt eannat will sell air time or newspapers,

CFR Parts 190 -99 <Psl<s). Like many hear the noise, see or smell the the tourth estate (the press) will get
regulanans — and virtually all satety snlistanee escaping, iii, if it is involved The taets and the regulations
regulations — the Psks establish learning, a safe alistanee from the beeume irrelevant. Any eorreetions
minimum requirements: what is the flames. 3. Dial 911, explain your or retraetions will get buried in the
minimum that a pipeline operator has cmlcerns, anafollow tnstruetioiis. newspaper and probably never

to do to be ”lagt1l?” The Psks are not, Finally, 4. 1/ you know who the mentioned on the news.

in my opinion, written tor the ”gnod" pipeline operator is and how to Th d _l [11 I ‘ N
pipeline operators, they are written to niiitaet them, call the pipeline I °d‘;:"fn2%d*ufu V; jffiaj £133“ dfm
give regulatory ageneies enough toals opera ton EH1; M (N ck gm Vwm hm hm‘

to get the "bad” pipeline operators to ’ ‘El

_ what is the biggest problem with l’APs? needlessly increased.

‘’“P“"" °’ “hm d°"""‘ ln mv opinion it is getting people 5

Parts of the PSRs- require pipeline (stakeholders) to listen People in SAFE” PAYS"

operators ta pruvide intormation to general (atteeted publie) have their lives

speeilie stakeholder groups (atteeted to lead unless they have had a problem ioliii rcllmtl/rarll PHMSA and IS eiiirtntly
publlC,;lc:lcd§ff'lnt1l5, eme)rgeney Kith 1a1plpcl|n2lnrI;?o\'t' ~or§t:onc who viee prteitltiti o/l>ipeliiit systtiii Cant;/lll—
respon ers, an ereavators at as, t e genera pu ie lust oes not ante and opernnoiis SW7/lC('5fDr c2 [’i1rI—
minimum ireoueneies (lrom annually care and has better things to do. The ,,.,,, LLQ mm; M... ,gfpb1(Il.‘X2—'5_(nl"

to onee every three years). These same goes tar politieians Emergeiiey

partieiilar requirements are what is responders are typically somewhat

called in the pipeline industry (and in mere euneemed but they have so 2 1 4 9 t 3 B

the PSR) Publie Awareness Programs ar many other training requirements, 9 3 ' 1 2 6 A 7
PAPs. unless there is eantmuing educatltm

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lnfnnntmun r1bG|1l1'1ilZfll'dD|.hl| uld and ‘ L “PE "K m mmmm“ gt“ |g“DK 1: 3 2 7

’ q dun: to other pnormns. Extavzllozs are '5 :

3"‘ P‘P“"““°‘ “W M“ ‘W’ “’1“"“‘° hard to reaeh because it is a highly 9- 3

lhcv look like, what is in them, where . V = _= flflflfl

— eompetitive held and there is never 4 9
are they, what happens when they leak h ., ,. g i
enoug time to eall laetore you dig 3 2 7
or rupture, whatshould be done it they I V E h H‘ _ 2
lnakorruptum?Oncl\ugcpmblcm °""“"> ° ‘ N“ HEM
that than are ~omt1ny dlifcrcnt kmdsof "W"“**‘PP“"‘°'"° gnaan
20 s West viieinin 511 2Dl7,lssue2 A°“°‘d‘“$ “’ COM mm (D“"“‘5°