The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has introduced a new rule proposal that it says is designed to improve detection procedures for leaky gas pipelines.
In what is officially called a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the agency says it wants to increase the frequency of surveys in an effort to pinpoint leaks, while also requiring the use of modern aerial and vehicle surveys, along with handheld detection devices.
In essence, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration hopes to promulgate a system of continuous pipeline monitoring.
Submitted to the Federal Register for review, the proposed rule is seen as an offshoot of the Methane Reduction Action Plan, which was introduced last year, and is designed to substantially reduce methane emissions nationally.
If finally made official, the new rule, said Tristan Brown, deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, will “deploy pipeline workers across the country to find and repair leaks.”
Brown added that the proposed rule will also “help ensure that America continues to be the global leader in methane mitigation, which is one of the most potent greenhouse gases threatening the economy and our planet today.”
The agency has noted that there are currently nearly 3 million miles of gas pipelines in the country, along with more than four hundred natural gas storage facilities, and 165 liquefied gas facilities.
By Garry Boulard
