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PHMSA Issues Plastic Pipe Final Rule

By Erin Kurilla posted 11-21-2018 09:39 AM

  
After much anticipation, on November 20, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published the Final Rule for the Plastic Pipe Rule. The elements and requirements within the rule will go into effect on January 22, 2019. While the contents of the rule are still being analyzed, after an initial review it appears as though the elements of the rule are aligned with APGA’s expectations.

Highlights include:

• Tracking & Traceability – As anticipated the only requirement within the Final Rule related to Tracking & Traceability is the requirement that all plastic pipe and components manufactured after December 31, 2019 “be marked as prescribed in the specification or standard to which it was manufactured” and that those markings be “legible until the time of installation.”
• Design Factor for PE Pipe – PE pipe produced after January 22, 2019 a Design Factor of 0.40 may be used in the design formula.
• Trenchless Excavations – PHMSA will now require that each operator take practicable steps to provide sufficient clearance for installation and maintenance activities from other underground utilities and/or structures at the time of installation.
• Mechanical Leak Repair Clamps - Mechanical leak repair clamps installed after January 22, 2019 may not be used as a permanent repair method for plastic pipe.
• Additionally, PHMSA appears to have done a great job timestamping some of the new requirements, making it clear that the new requirements are only applicable prospectively and not retroactively.

APGA will continue to review the Final Rule over the next week and by early next week will provide a “redlined” version of the impacted 192 code sections and a slide deck summarizing the changes.

More information is at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/11/20/2018-24925/pipeline-safety-plastic-pipe-rule.

For questions on this article, please contact Erin Kurilla of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at ekurilla@apga.org.

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