Training & Publications:
Publications are provided by OPS
to define the scope and support the goals of each program. Additional information
such as papers, summaries, and meeting plans have been included to describe
activities involved in creating and instituting these programs.
OPS sponsors a number of training activities designed to familiarize government
and industry personnel with the requirements of pipeline safety regulations
and to educate federal and state inspectors in compliance requirements, inspection
techniques, and enforcement procedures. These activities include in-depth
classroom training at the Department's Transportation Safety Institute located
in Oklahoma City, OK. as well as at various regional and state seminars.
Downloading in Adobe Portable Document Format. Adobe provides a free PDF document reader that can be used to view or print PDF files. If you wish to save the pdf file in your hard drive, right click the link and "Save link as". Learn more about the Adobe Reader and how to download it.
Technical Reports
Environmental Assessment
Longhorn Pipeline
The proposed Longhorn Partners Pipeline (LPP) project would convert the former
Exxon Pipeline Company pipeline, transporting crude oil from Crane to Baytown,
Texas, to a refined products pipeline transporting primarily gasoline and
diesel fuel from Houston to El Paso, Texas. The purpose of the Longhorn system
is to provide refined petroleum products to third-party common party carrier
pipelines accessing markets in west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The Environmental
Assessment (EA) is based on the condition of the pipeline as it existed at
the commencement of this process in the spring of 1999, and includes (1) a
description of the proposed project; possible alternatives, including 'no
action' and rerouting; (2) a description of the affected environment; (3)
an analysis of the effects on safety and the environment, including a pipeline
integrity analysis and risk assessment; (4) consideration of comments from
the public, the parties, the cooperating agencies; and, (5) mitigation measures
and other components. The initial view is that the EA supports a Finding of
No Significant Impact (FNSI), when accompanied by the substantial mitigation
elements detailed in the EA, and no significant impacts to the human environment
will result from the operation of the pipeline. The FNSI would be contingent
upon operation of the proposed project with mitigation measures that would
be implemented prior to, and following, start-up of the pipeline.
EPA-Region 6 website where the full Longhorn Pipeline Environmental Assessment can be viewed and downloaded in PDF format.
The following files are courtesy of EPA Region 6:
Drug and Alcohol Program
Unusually Sensitive Areas
Regulatory Development
This section contains Title
49 Regulations Part 190-199 (revised as of October 1998).
This section contains OPS Interpretations based
on Title 49 Regulations.
This section contains OPS Waivers based on Title
49 Regulations.
This section contains OPS Rule-making Summaries
that describe and provides status information on each docketed Office of Pipeline
Safety rulemaking.
This section contains Notices of Proposed Rule-making
that describe the substance and terms of the proposed regulation.
The Risk Management Program Standard
- The Risk Management Program Standard
You can also request a hardcopy version
of the standard by sending E-mail to Janice
Morgan at OPS.
Description of the Standard
The Risk Management Program Standard,
developed by the joint government / industry Risk Management Program Standard
Team, describes the necessary basic elements and characteristics of a pipeline
company risk management program. The program standard is to be used by:
- individual pipeline companies that
are developing risk management programs for internal use
- individual pipeline companies that
are developing specific proposals to submit for consideration in the Risk
Management Demonstration Program
- OPS as a basis for developing the
processes it will use to review risk management demonstration projects and
approve specific risk management demonstration project proposals submitted
by individual companies
The program standard is intended to serve
as a common rational basis upon which the pipeline industry and its regulators
can interactively develop and refine effective risk management programs and
proposals. It is not intended to provide a detailed instruction manual that
can be followed by rote by pipelines companies to develop a program or proposal,
or a check list for OPS to review company risk management proposals.
This program standard defines the program
and process elements of a comprehensive risk management program that all risk
management demonstration project proposals shall contain, but allows flexibility
to each company to customize its risk management program to fit its particular
needs and corporate practices, provided that the program supports the scope
and goals of the demonstration project proposal. This program standard also
includes a program evaluation and improvement element that enables programs
to evolve as experience is gained.
The Demonstration Project Regulatory Framework
The Regulatory Framework, which will soon
be published in the Federal Register and available for download from this
site, describes the Pipeline Risk Management Demonstration Program required
by the Accountable Pipeline Safety and Partnership Act of 1996. The Demonstration
Program will invite pipeline operators to propose risk management projects
for one or more parts of their pipeline systems that, upon approval by OPS,
will substitute for the existing Federal safety standards in providing the
basis for Federal oversight of pipeline safety and environmental protection.
The Regulatory Framework describes the
activities already underway to prepare for the demonstration program, and
the next steps in the process. It describes the objectives to be achieved
by the demonstration projects; provides needed guidance for pipeline operators
who may wish to participate; and invites public involvement in the process
through various opportunities for public comment and public meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth
M. Callsen, Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration,
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE East Building, 2nd Floor (Routing Symbol) Washington, DC 20590
Pipeline Risk Management Documents
- The Risk Management Program Standard
- The Joint Risk Management Program Standard Team, comprised of representatives from federal and state regulators, the oil and gas industries, and the public produced this document that describes the necessary basic elements and characteristics of a pipeline company risk management program.
- The Risk Management Demonstration Project Regulatory Framework
- This document, also published in the Federal Register, describes the processes by which the Office of Pipeline Safety will receive, review, approve, and monitor pipeline company risk management demonstration programs.
- Risk Management Demonstration Project Performance Measures
- (will be available for download)
The Joint Performance Measures Team, comprised of representatives from federal and state regulators, the oil and gas industries, and the public produced this document that describes the performance measures that will be used to ascertain the effectiveness of the risk management demonstration project.
These newsletters provide status reports on the progress of risk management activities within OPS and the pipeline industry, tutorials on basic risk management concepts, articles on risk management, and much more.
- Risk Management Conference/Public Meeting Proceedings
- Conference/Public Meeting Proceedings will be available from the First Pipeline Risk Management Conference held in McLean, Virginia in November, 1995, the Second Pipeline Risk Management Conference held in Houston, Texas in April, 1996, and the Third Pipeline Risk Management Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in January, 1997.
Pipeline Risk Management News
- Pipeline Risk Management Demonstration Project - Electronic Town Hall Meeting
- This page contains news and announcements concerning Pipeline Risk Management, including upcoming conferences, quality team meetings and public meetings. Items on this page are listed in reverse-chronological order. Older items are retained unless no longer applicable.
Pipeline Risk Management Newsletter
The following Newsletters are currently
available for on-screen viewing and downloading in pdf format:
Oil Pollution Act (OPA) Newsletter
- Spring 99: The First Three Years - and other stories
- Summer 98: Sun in Mississippi
- Winter 98: OPS on the World Wide Web.
- Fall 97: New integrated contingency plan...
- Summer 97: Spolight on recent area exercise.
- Spring 97: Exercise program validates operators...
Downloading in Adobe Portable Document Format. Adobe provides a free PDF
document reader that can be used to view or print PDF files. If you wish to
save the pdf file in your hard drive, right click the link and "Save link as".Learn
more about the Adobe Reader and how to download it.
Microsoft Word Viewer is available at
http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/wd97vwr32.aspx
Last Update 05/17/2004
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