Construction activity near transmission pipelines increases the risk of excavation damage. The risk of being affected by a transmission pipeline incident depends on the distance from the pipeline.
Over the past seventy years, a nationwide pipeline system has been constructed to transport natural gas and petroleum products. Many portions of these transmission pipelines were constructed in sparsely populated areas. Subsequent growth of communities has converted many of these areas to housing developments, shopping centers, and business parks. This growth spurs the construction of even more pipelines to meet our growing energy needs.
The proximity of people to pipelines poses significant safety challenges that are of concern to all stakeholders, including property developers, planning organizations, Local, State, and Federal officials, first responders and the public. Care must be taken to protect people and the environment from the impacts of pipeline incidents and to prevent damage to transmission pipelines that can result from right-of-way (ROW) encroachment and careless excavation. We must ensure that stakeholders are knowledgeable about transmission pipelines and the potential consequences of pipeline incidents. And, we must take steps to help stakeholders recognize land use planning issues related to building in proximity to pipelines.
To better understand issues related to land use planning, PHMSA, in conjunction with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), sponsored a comprehensive study of land use practices, zoning ordinances, and preservation of environmental resources on transmission pipeline ROW. The October 2004 report by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) included several recommendations to PHMSA. In response, PHMSA has gathered an enterprise of pipeline safety stakeholders to implement the recommendations from the study. The Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance (PIPA) includes stakeholders from property development, the transmission pipeline industry, the real estate industry, and Local, State, and Federal government agencies.
Stakeholders from around the country have already begun addressing the critical issues involved in land use planning, but there has been no consistent, National guidance for development adjacent to transmission pipelines. PHMSA is asking stakeholders to work together in PIPA to develop guidance and document best practices for land use planning in the vicinity of transmission pipelines.