On January 16, Bert Kalisch, John Erickson and Erin Kurilla met with Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Administrator, Skip Elliott, and Assistant Administrator of Pipeline Safety, Alan Mayberry. During the meeting, APGA highlighted three specific asks of PHMSA:On January 16, Bert Kalisch, John Erickson and Erin Kurilla met with Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Administrator, Skip Elliott, and Assistant Administrator of Pipeline Safety, Alan Mayberry.
During the meeting, APGA highlighted three specific asks of PHMSA:
1. APGA discourages PHMSA from any future incorporation of American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 1173 into federal regulation, as many of the mandatory provisions within the RP are not feasible or suitable for small operators.
2. APGA requests that PHMSA advise state pipeline safety regulators to interpret federal regulations in a manner consistent with their original intent and cease including PHMSA guidance in mandatory compliance requirements.
3. APGA requests that PHMSA and PHMSA’s Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee continue considering an exemption for pipelines operating at low risk levels: low stress, small diameter, and away from populations.
Much of the discussion centered around the unique attributes of municipal gas systems and how they are integrated into the nation’s pipeline infrastructure. Skip and Alan were very receptive to APGA’s positions and asked that two messages be passed on to APGA membership:
1. PHMSA understands the need for scalable requirements and guidance as one size certainly does not fit all in our industry.
2. The industry is being provided with a unique opportunity to establish a precedent and show significant improvements in pipeline safety during a time with little to no implementation of new regulatory requirements.
For questions on this article, please contact Erin Kurilla of APGA staff by phone at 202-905-2904 or by email at
ekurilla@apga.org.