OPS collaborates and coordinates extensively with other federal agencies that share similar goals and objectives.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Minerals Management Service (MMS)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
The NTSB is the independent federal agency that investigates significant aviation, railroad, highway, marine and pipeline accidents. NTSB also issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. Relative to pipeline safety, the NTSB determines the probable cause of:
- Pipeline accidents involving a fatality or substantial property damage;
- Releases of hazardous materials in all forms of transportation; and
- Selected transportation accidents that involve problems of a recurring nature.
When the NTSB is notified of a major pipeline accident, it launches a "Go Team," which varies in size depending on the severity of the accident and the complexity of the issues involved. The team may consist of experts in as many as 14 different specialties, coordinated by the "investigator-in-charge".
Each expert manages a group of other specialists from government agencies and industry in collecting facts and determining the conditions and circumstances surrounding the accident. After an investigation is completed, a detailed report is prepared that analyzes the investigative record, identifies the probable cause(s) of the accident and makes recommendations. Depending on the nature of the recommendations, they may be directed to OPS, other government agencies, industry associations, or pipeline operators. Working closely with NTSB is an important part of the OPS Problem Identification strategic goal. OPS places priority attention to resolving NTSB recommendations.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
FERC is an independent agency that regulates certain economic aspects of interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, and electricity. FERC also regulates natural gas and hydropower projects. Relative to pipelines, FERC approves both the siting and abandonment of interstate natural gas pipelines, as well as fuel storage and liquefied natural gas facilities. FERC also oversees environmental matters related to natural gas projects.
Because outside force damage, including third party damage, is a major cause of pipeline accidents, the siting of a pipeline can have important safety implications. FERC has recently asked OPS to join in supporting the evaluation of proposed natural gas pipeline siting plans.
Minerals Management Service (MMS)
The MMS, a bureau in the U.S. Department of the Interior, is a federal agency that manages the nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf (OCS). The agency also collects, accounts for and disburses more than $5 billion per year in revenues from federal offshore mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on federal and Indian lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the MMS includes two major programs, Offshore Minerals Management and Minerals Revenue Management. The Offshore program, which manages the mineral resources on the OCS, comprises three regions: Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific. The Minerals Revenue Management program is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but is operationally based in Denver, Colorado.
OPS is partnering with the MMS in sponsoring research and development projects focused on providing near-term solutions that will increase the safety, cleanliness, and reliability of the nation's pipeline system.
The U. S. Department of Energy’s overarching mission is to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States; to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and to ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex. The Department has four strategic goals toward achieving its mission. They are:
- Defense - To protect our national security by applying advanced science and nuclear technology to the Nation's defense.
- Energy - To protect our national and economic security by promoting a diverse supply and delivery of reliable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy.
- Science - To protect our national and economic security by providing world-class scientific research capacity and advancing scientific knowledge.
- Environment - To protect the environment by providing a responsible resolution to the environmental legacy of the Cold War and by providing for the permanent disposal of the Nation's high-level radioactive waste.
The Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 instructed the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to "carry out a program of research, development, demonstration and standardization to ensure the integrity of pipeline facilities."
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
NIST is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration. NIST's mission is to develop and promote measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life. NIST carries out its mission in four cooperative programs:
- NIST Laboratories - conducting research that advances the nation's technology infrastructure and is needed by U.S. industry to continually improve products and services;
- Baldrige National Quality Program - promotes performance excellence among U.S. manufacturers, service companies, educational institutions, and health care providers; conducts outreach programs and manages the annual Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award which recognizes performance excellence and quality achievement;
- Manufacturing Extension Partnership - a nationwide network of local centers offering technical and business assistance to smaller manufacturers; and
- Advanced Technology Program - accelerates the development of innovative technologies for broad national benefit by co-funding R&D partnerships with the private sector.
The Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 instructed the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to "carry out a program of research, development, demonstration and standardization to ensure the integrity of pipeline facilities."
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
The DHS is the federal agency with principal responsibility for protecting critical US infrastructure from terrorist attacks. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7), signed by President Bush on December 17, 2003, establishes a national policy for federal departments and agencies to identify and prioritize critical infrastructure and key resources within the U.S., protect them from terrorist attacks. The directive instructs these agencies to work with DHS to help secure critical infrastructure within their areas of responsibility. It also specifically directs the DOT to collaborate with DHS on all matters relating to transportation security and "in regulating the transportation of hazardous material by all modes (including pipelines)."
OPS is working with DHS in carrying out this directive and assuring the physical security of the nation's pipeline infrastructure. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, OPS initiated efforts to improve security of the nation's pipelines, working with the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) after that agency was established. Some OPS programs have now been transferred to DHS, but OPS remains involved in assisting in their further development and implementation. OPS support includes participation in security inspections of pipeline facilities, and assistance in establishing communications protocols for use in emergency situations.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
The BLM is an agency within the Department of Interior, responsible for the management of approximately 261 million acres of federal lands, principally in 12 Western states, including Alaska. BLM's responsibilities include issuing right-of-way grants and permits for energy pipelines.
OPS is partnering with BLM to develop a coordinated and expedited permit review process for pipeline repairs. Pipeline operators are required, by OPS regulations, to inspect their pipelines periodically and to repair defects that meet certain criteria. The regulations establish time limits for repair of some defects, based on their severity and the increased likelihood that they could result in a pipeline accident if left in service. Section 16 of the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 required establishment of an Interagency Committee to improve the permitting process so that pipeline operators would be able to commence and complete repairs, which often require excavation, within the established time limits. OPS is working with BLM to improve the process by which operators can obtain permits, when needed, to conduct repairs on pipelines crossing BLM lands.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
The FWS is an agency within the Department of Interior. FWS is responsible for assisting other federal agencies and the public in the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats, pursuant to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. FWS has specific responsibilities in implementing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Federal agencies with permit authority over pipeline construction and repair, and the applicants for such work, are required to consult with FWS on projects that could affect resources under its purview.
OPS is working with FWS as part of the Interagency Committee mentioned above, to develop a coordinated and expedited permit review process.
OPS has also worked with FWS in defining Unusually Sensitive Areas (USA), areas in which release of hazardous liquids from pipeline accidents could cause unusually severe harm to protected and endangered species and their habitat. USAs were first defined in 2000 and are used as a basis for defining which hazardous liquid pipelines require special attention under integrity management regulations published that same year. FWS participated in a cooperative effort to define USAs, and facilitated the participation of the Nature Conservancy as well. OPS intends to update its USA maps periodically, to reflect changes in habitats, species newly-designated as requiring protection, and species for which special protection designations have been removed. OPS will work cooperatively with FWS in carrying out these updates.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA is responsible for administering a wide variety of environmental laws. Responsibilities relevant to pipeline activities include commenting on Environmental Impact Statements, participating in Clean Water Act permitting activities, and reviewing authorized state's issuance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for discharges of storm water from construction activities affecting more than one acre. Construction and replacement of pipelines, which are usually buried structures, involves considerable excavation and the involvement of EPA in various permit-related activities.
OPS is working with EPA as part of the Interagency Committee to develop a coordinated and expedited permit review process for pipeline repair activities. OPS also consults with EPA on rules that can result in environmental disruption in order to minimize impacts on areas under EPA purview while still assuring safe and economical operation of pipelines that are critical US energy assets.
Among other responsibilities, the U. S. Coast Guard is responsible for safety, engineering and safety standards and facility inspections at our nation's deepwater ports, under the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (as amended). The Maritime Safety Security Act of 2002 extended the definition of deepwater ports to include natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. DOT's Maritime Administration (MARAD) also has responsibility for licensing deepwater port applications, focused primarily on the financial capability and citizenship of applicants.
Natural gas is increasingly important to fuel the American economy. Natural gas has historically been used as a fuel to heat our homes and businesses, but is increasingly being used as a fuel to generate electricity. The result is a steadily increasing demand and a decreasing ability to meet that demand with available supply. A number of companies have expressed interest in addressing this supply/demand mismatch by developing new port facilities for the import of LNG into the U.S.
OPS has established regulations (at 49 CFR Part 193)that govern the safety of LNG facilities in the U.S. Additionally, OPS is working with the Coast Guard to assure that the review of any application for a new deepwater LNG port facility is coordinated to improve efficiency and timeliness of action, and the protection of health and safety in facility design and operation.