Blog Viewer

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced two upcoming meetings. APGA will be in attendance at both. 

1. Voluntary Information-Sharing (VIS) System Work Group – On February 28, 2018 the PHMSA’s VIS Work Group will meet in Arlington, Va. This is the fourth meeting of the work group that was formed to address a Congressional mandate in the PIPES Act of 2016. The group is charged with determining the feasibility of a “voluntary information-sharing system to encourage collaborative efforts to improve pipeline assessment information and information sharing with the purpose of improving integrity risk analysis.” At the last meeting, the group decided to expand the scope of this study to include gas distribution pipelines. Because distribution pipelines are now part of the conversation, APGA is working with PHMSA to gain a seat on the work group. If we are successful in getting a seat for APGA and members are interested in representing municipal gas systems on this Work Group, please contact Erin Kurilla at ekurilla@apga.org. Click here to learn more information about the VIS Work Group: https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/standards-rulemaking/pipeline/voluntary-information-sharing-system-working-group. Register at https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=130&nocache=9447.

2. Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC) Meeting – On March 2, 2018, the GPAC is meeting for the fourth time concerning the Safety of Gas Transmission and Gathering Lines Rulemaking. However, this time the meeting will be held via teleconference and all will be welcome to dial-in and listen. The meeting agenda includes introducing topics from the proposed rule that have not been discussed yet such as expansion of integrity assessments and response criteria. The intention is not for the GPAC to vote on any paths forward, but instead better prepare themselves for the next in-person meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for March 26-28, 2018 in the Washington, D.C. area. Register at https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=131&nocache=9447.

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.