“This rule will improve critical safety requirements for the next generation of energy pipelines as US energy production continues to grow,” said US Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
The NPRM requires that remote-control or automatic shut-off valves be installed on new or replaced pipelines greater than 6 in. in diameter. Leak detection systems must be capable of closing valves to isolate a ruptured pipeline segment within 40 minutes.
The rule would address Congressional mandates from the Pipeline Safety Act of 2011, and recommendations from both the National Transportation Safety Board and a study conducted by the Government Accountability Office.
“This proposal is backed by extensive research that supports the use of remotely controlled and automated valves as both cost-effective and capable of minimising potential delays between the identification and isolation of a pipeline release,” said PHMSA Administrator Skip Elliott.
The proposed rule published in the Federal Register on 6 February 2020.
