On October 20, APGA staff participated with other pipeline stakeholders in a conference call hosted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This regularly occurring event allows all pertinent partners to gather and hear the latest from the TSA Surface Operations Division leadership, as well as get an update on any pipeline threats.
On this particular call, attendees were fortunate to hear from a natural gas transmission pipeline operator, who found a suspicious object on their right-of-way while there was ongoing construction. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the device was harmless. However, that operator was reminded to remain vigilant and be aware of suspicious objects. He, in turn, encouraged those on the call to be watchful as well. There was also discussion on the free cyber and physical security assessments TSA offers to pipeline operators, including the Validated Architecture Design Reviews (VADRs) and the Corporate Security Reviews (CSRs).
One of the speakers on this week’s call was Sonya Proctor, the Assistant Administrator of TSA Surface Operations, who APGA is pleased to have present during the ongoing Operations Conference. At the Operations Conference, she will provide an update on her division’s efforts to secure America’s pipeline infrastructure and can answer questions on the free assessments offered. Because of the formation of the APGA Security Task Group, APGA staff believes it is important to engage TSA and provide relative information to that team and all members, supporting them in their physical and cyber security efforts.
For questions on this article, please contact Stuart Saulters of APGA staff by phone at 202-544-1334 or by email at
ssaulters@apga.org.