FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEA
Wednesday,
March 21, 2001
Contact: Patricia
Klinger
Damon A. Hill
Tel: (202) 366-4831
RSPA 08-01
Transportation
Department Awards $9.5 Million Contract in Support of Pipeline Integrity
Management Initiatives
In keeping with President Bush’s commitment to a safe and reliable energy supply now and in the future, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the award of a three-year, $9.5 million contract to the Cycla Corporation of Alexandria, Va., in support of the department’s pipeline integrity management initiative.
“We
must ensure that the nearly two million miles of pipelines that make up the
nation’s pipeline system remain among the safest ways to move oil, natural gas
and other products that power our economy,” Secretary Mineta said.
Under
the contract, Cycla will support the department’s Research and Special
Programs Administration (RSPA) as it implements its pipeline integrity
management initiative and associated new rules.
The department believes that recent high-consequence accidents could have
been prevented if operators had made better use of available information about
their pipelines. The rules
therefore require operators to develop and implement comprehensive integrity
management programs which incorporate new testing requirements as well as risk
assessment and management methods. The
programs must address such risks as outside force, corrosion, human errors and
material defects.
OPS
has already issued the first rule affecting nearly 87 percent of federally
regulated hazardous liquid pipelines. Cycla
analyses and information systems also will be used to support the development of
similar rules for additional pipelines under federal or state oversight,
including pipelines transporting natural gas.
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