[Federal Register: May 17, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 94)]
[Notices]
[Page 28353-28354]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17my05-115]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. RSPA-03-14455]
Pipeline Safety: Public Meeting on Use of Excess Flow Valves in
Gas Distribution Service Lines
AGENCY: Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice; public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's
(PHMSA) Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) is sponsoring a public meeting
on the use of Excess Flow Valves in gas distribution safety lines as a
technique for mitigating the consequences of service line incidents.
The meeting will be held on June 17, 2005, in Washington, DC.
DATES: The public meeting will be held Friday, June 17, 2005, from 8:30
a.m. to 3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Pentagon
City, 1250 South Hays Street, Arlington, VA 22202. The phone number for
hotel reservations is (703) 415-5000 or 1-(800)-241-3333. Attendees
staying at the hotel must make reservations by May 30.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Israni (PHMSA/OPS) at 202-366-
4571; mike.israni@dot.gov, regarding the subject matter of this notice.
For information regarding meeting logistics, please contact Cheryl
Whetsel at 202-366-4431; cheryl.whetsel@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PHMSA/OPS invites public participation in a
meeting to be held on June 17, 2005, to discuss use of excess flow
valves (EFV) in gas distribution service lines to mitigate the
consequences of potential service line incidents. The preliminary
agenda for this meeting includes briefings on the following topics:
Operator Case Studies and Experience
Analysis of Recent Incident Data
NTSB Position and Recommendation
Views of State Regulatory Commissioners
Views of State Fire Marshals
Views of EFV Manufacturers
Views of Industry Trade Associations
A study for the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (NARUC) conducted by the National Regulatory Research
Institute (NRRI)
Distribution Integrity Management Program role in EFVs
Background
EFVs are devices designed to be installed in gas service lines, the
pipelines that carry gas from a distribution main to each individual
customer. They automatically shut off the flow of natural gas in a
service line when the line is ruptured. Proper operation of an EFV
would minimize or eliminate safety consequences from fires caused by
escaped gas.
EFVs will not shut off flow in response to a leak in a building or
in response to a slow leak, such as a leak caused by corrosion or a
small crack in the service line. If an EFV activates improperly when
there is no line break, i.e., spurious actuation, it would cut off gas
flow to the customer.
Proposals to Require EFV Installation
In 2001, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
recommended that DOT mandate installation of EFVs as a means of
reducing or preventing injury or death from incidents resulting from
service line breaks or ruptures in all new and renewed service lines
where operating conditions are compatible with available valves.
The public safety community has also weighed-in on this issue. The
International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the International
Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) believe the use of EFVs should be
required. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the
National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) have expressed
interest in exploring options to improve gas distribution pipeline
integrity management.
State Regulatory Considerations
Nearly all gas service lines are under the regulatory authority of
state regulatory commissions. PHMSA/OPS has been discussing the need to
mandate the installation of EFVs with state regulators. A requirement
could be promulgated in a stand-alone federal regulation.
Alternatively, operators could be required to consider the use of the
valves among a range of prevention and mitigation options within the
broader context of a Gas Distribution Integrity Management rule.
To date, no state has taken a position in support of a stand-alone
federal mandate. Several states strongly oppose a stand-alone federal
mandate. The leadership of the National Association of Regulatory
Utility Commissioners (NARUC) has expressed the view that the use of
the valves should be considered within the broader context of a Gas
Distribution Integrity Management regulation. NARUC has
[[Page 28354]]
begun its own independent study of this matter to assist in
understanding the position of each of the states.
Benefit-Cost Study
In 2002, OPS tasked the Volpe Center to update a previous benefit-
cost study for the mandatory installation of EFVs in new and renewed
residential gas service lines. In December 2002, Volpe completed a
draft benefit-cost analysis. PHMSA/OPS then published the study in the
Federal Register to obtain public comments on the analysis and the
underlying data and assumptions. Thirty-nine comments were received
from the gas pipeline industry, one state, the fire prevention
community, and the public. Many of these comments addressed data
errors.
In September 2003, Volpe published a final benefit-cost study that
corrected errors in the calculations, including an assumed EFV
activation rate that was overstated by a factor of 10. The final
estimated benefit-cost ratio for mandatory installation of EFVs
remained low, between 0.29 and 0.88, depending on assumptions. This
means that implementation of the NTSB recommendation for residential
gas service lines would expensive relative to the expected benefits.
Distribution Integrity Management
At present, PHMSA/OPS is considering whether requirements should be
imposed to help better assure the integrity of gas distribution
pipeline systems and, if so, how those requirements should be
structured. PHMSA/OPS is working with a work/study group consisting of
representatives of state pipeline safety regulators, the gas
distribution industry, the Gas Pipeline Technology Committee, the Fire
Marshal's Association, and the public. Members of this group are
expected to meet periodically, throughout 2005, to evaluate various
topics about the decision regarding the need for and nature of
potential distribution integrity management requirements. This work/
study group is considering the use of EFVs, in the context of an
overall integrity management program, as one of a range of actions that
could help to mitigate the consequences of distribution pipeline system
incidents.
The work/study group notes that there is limited data available on
actual experience with EFVs either regarding whether they have been
effective in mitigating accidents, or whether they have experienced
high rates of spurious actuation that interrupts gas flow to customers.
The group is conducting surveys and reviewing available data to try to
better understand the issues related to potential EF requirements.
Current Actions
PHMSA/OPS also is conducting evaluations of EFV use. The following
actions have been completed or are currently underway.
(1) PHMSA/OPS completed a study of five years of incident data and
concluded that at most, 100 of 634 reportable incidents met criteria
for activation of an EFV. This study will be discussed during the
public meeting.
(2) PHMSA/OPS commissioned a new study with Oak Ridge National
Laboratory to validate EFV performance since the 1998 rulemaking. This
study team of research and academic professionals will review
measurable data that PHMSA/OPS will collect from individual operators
on the operational history of EFVs. PHMSA/OPS has not collected this
type of information since the performance standards were set by the
American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM).
(3) PHMSA/OPS is commissioning further statistical analysis to
evaluate operational success rate, false positives, trigger rate, and
reduction in damages.
(4) PHMSA/OPS collected additional data from state pipeline
regulators on EFV installations and activations, including incidents
that didn't reach the reporting threshold. This data revealed that a
larger than expected number of operators are voluntarily installing
EFVs.
(5) PHMSA/OPS is cooperating with NARUC on its study of the use of
EFVs.
(6) PHMSA/OPS is working with NASFM to review incident data
collected by the fire service and to discuss opportunities to enhance
overall distribution pipeline safety, including the use of the EFVs.
(7) PHMSA/OPS established a State/Federal Distribution Integrity
Management work group to consider development of EFV requirements as a
mitigation measure under a Distribution Integrity Management Program.
Need for Public Input
As described above, much work is ongoing and stakeholders have
taken various positions regarding the need to require use of EFVs. The
benefit-cost analysis does not appear to support a requirement
mandating installation of EFVs.
This meeting will update the public on the continuing EFV
activities and provide interested stakeholders an opportunity to
present their positions for and against a requirement to use EFVs.
Therefore, PHMSA/OPS encourages interested members of the public to
attend the meeting and to share their views on EFVs. These views will
be considered in making decisions regarding the mandatory use of EFVs.
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 12, 2005.
Florence L. Hamn,
Director, Office of Regulations, Office of Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-9914 Filed 5-16-05; 8:45 am]
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