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Overview of Pipelines
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Pipelines are metal or plastic tubes of varying sizes used to transport crude oil, refined petroleum products, and natural gas liquids from production areas to refineries and other processing facilities all around the world. Pipelines transport billions of barrels of crude oil and petroleum products each year. These liquids are moved through pipelines by pumping stations placed intermittently along the line.
There are two main types of energy pipelines: liquid petroleum pipelines and natural gas pipelines. Liquid petroleum pipelines carry materials like crude oil and refined petroleum products. Natural gas pipelines carry natural gas, usually to homes and businesses. In the United States alone, there are roughly 200,000 miles of liquid petroleum pipelines and 2.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines crisscrossing the nation.
If oil and gas is the lifeblood of our mobile world, then pipelines are the arteries and veins. While these assets are necessary for the continued expansion of the global oil and gas network, they do pose significant challenges. Pipelines can be hundreds, if not thousands of miles long, and not only travel under oceans, rivers, lakes, and mountains, but directly under populated towns and cities. This makes proper pipeline integrity management imperative. Pipeline construction, maintenance, inspection, and cleaning must all be performed using best practices and advanced technologies to ensure they continue to operate safely and reliably. Advanced pigging and in-line inspection techniques should be utilized. Cathodic protection and coatings are also important for protecting pipelines from corrosion and other forms of degradation.
Industry Organizations & Regulators
Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL)
The Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) is a nonprofit organization representing the interests of liquid pipeline owners and operators transporting crude oil, petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and home heating oil, and industrial products like propane and ethane. As a trade association, AOPL:
- Represents common carrier crude and petroleum product pipelines, as well as carbon dioxide pipelines, before Congress, regulatory agencies, and the courts;
- Provides coordination and leadership on key industry issues, including pipeline rates and services, pipeline safety initiatives, pipeline security, and the industry’s Environmental and Safety Initiative; and
- Acts as an information clearinghouse for the public, media, and pipeline industry regarding liquid pipeline issues.
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) agency that develops and enforces regulations for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of the nation's 2.6 million mile pipeline transportation system and the nearly 1 million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea, and air. The PHMSA is one of ten agencies within the U.S. DOT.
Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI)
Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) is an organization dedicated to advancing the pipeline industry through cooperative research and analysis. PRCI is a community of the world’s leading pipeline companies, and the vendors, service providers, equipment manufacturers, and other organizations supporting the pipeline industry.
In 2015, PRCI opened a new Technology Development Center (TDC) in Houston, Texas. This facility will be used to address the key issues that the energy pipeline industry is facing to ensure the safety and integrity of the vital national and international pipeline system.
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Articles about Pipelines
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The Effect of High Pressure High Temperature and Sour Service Environment on Subsea Dissimilar JointsJanuary/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Samer E. Ibrahim at Robert Gordon University
The author will discuss the failure of a dissimilar joint while examining the root causes of the failure along with potential solutions and preventive actions that would not compromise the welding production rate.
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May/June 2018 Inspectioneering JournalBy Dhananjay H. Rawal at Systech Consultancy Services
This article details the experience an oil company had when using FEA to evaluate the implications of a damaged pipeline. Specifically, it presents an efficient method that combines analytical techniques with FEA to determine the pipeline’s...
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November/December 2017 Inspectioneering JournalBy Elizabeth Allen at DNV GL, and Michelle Havlock at DNV GL
This article explains the Statistically Active Corrosion Assessment, which is a tool for determining appropriate and realistic corrosion growth rates which can assist pipeline operators in optimizing the value of in-line inspection data.
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July/August 2017 Inspectioneering JournalBy Richard B. Eckert at DNV GL, and Dr. Kathy Buckingham at DNV GL
Failure analysis of piping that has experienced corrosion damage provides operators with valuable information needed to prevent future failures. Effective processes and procedures are essential when investigating the cause of corrosion on pipelines...
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July/August 2017 Inspectioneering JournalBy Buddy Powers at Clock Spring Company, and Donald McNichol at Evisive, Inc.
Composite technology developed for pipeline repair can be a cost-effective method of improving safety while keeping maintenance costs down. However, composite materials present significant challenges to conventional NDT methods.
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Partner Content
LOTIS utilizes laser profilometry to conduct internal steam reformer tube inspections. The data captured by LOTIS is exceptionally powerful when combined with our LifeQuest™ remaining life assessment capabilities, providing an integrated...
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November/December 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Adam Gardner at PinnacleART
Beyond the financial hits, undetected degradation from corrosion can also lead to critical safety risks. To effectively manage mechanical integrity, organizations need reliable methods of identifying the current states of corrosion occurring within...
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My Pipes are Corroding! When Should I Repair? Getting the Answers You Need for Maintaining Pipeline IntegrityNovember/December 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Michael Turnquist at Quest Integrity Group
This article exhibits how modern inspection methodologies combined with innovative computational analysis practices demonstrate the value of conducting fitness-for-service (FFS) assessments on sectional piping.
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July/August 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Neil Ferguson at Hydratight
Joint integrity management remains at the top of many operators’ priority list. The discipline considers risk and drives safety to ensure we learn necessary lessons from past catastrophic failures, such as the Piper Alpha explosion in 1988,...
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May/June 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Gary Mulcahy at Astrodyne TDI
This is the second article of a two-part series published in Inspectioneering Journal, which is intended to provide a basis for understanding the differences between traditional tapped-transformer, fixed voltage type rectifiers, and High Frequency...
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March/April 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy André Lamarre at Olympus Scientific Solutions Americas
This article highlights the evolution of corrosion monitoring from conventional ultrasonic to ultrasonic phased array manual and automated solutions and their use for both general purposes and complex applications.
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Partner Content
InVista is a lightweight, hand-held ultrasonic in-line inspection tool (intelligent pig) capable of detecting pipeline wall loss and corrosion in unpiggable or difficult-to-inspect pipelines. The pipeline geometry inspection data captured by the...
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March/April 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Craig Alan Swift, P.E. at Bureau Veritas
The objective of this article is to demonstrate the inherent value of an interactive and detailed GIS landscape, emphasize the importance of industry standardization, and encourage regulatory agencies and operators to systematize and incorporate...
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January/February 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Vipin Nair at GE Compliance and Integrity Management
Pipeline management remains fraught with safety risks for operators and the environment. Last year, the Ontario Energy Board determined that a $12 billion oil pipeline proposed by TransCanada Corp. would pose more risks than rewards for the province.
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November/December 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Richard B. Eckert at DNV GL
Understanding the common factors that promote corrosion threats in the oil and gas value chain helps operators create effective inspection strategies.
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November/December 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy David A. Hunter at Neptune Research, Inc.
This study provides valuable information for offshore pipeline operators curious about how composite repair systems could be utilized with their assets.
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API 1169 Pipeline Inspector Certification Program – A Case for Why it Should be the Industry StandardJuly/August 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Rikki Smith at Oilfield Jobs
Some hiring practices for new employees have been too lax for too long in the pipeline industry. Pipeline inspectors who have ever worked beside someone who was hired via the familiar “friends and family program,” recognize the need for more...
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July/August 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Gary Mulcahy at Astrodyne TDI
This is the first article of a two-part series to be published in Inspectioneering Journal and will provide a basis for understanding the differences between traditional tapped-transformer, fixed voltage type rectifiers, and High Frequency Switched...
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A New Trend for Pipeline Integrity Management: How GIS and Risk-Based Asset Management (RBA) Integration Can Improve Pipeline ManagementMay/June 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Dylan Schrader at PinnacleART, Tom Pickthall at EnhanceCo Inc., and Carlos A. Palacios at CiMA-TQ
Pipeline integrity is critical to ensure maintenance and operational efficiency; however it is becoming an increasingly challenging task for the energy industry. Maintenance managers and inspectors must make sure their pipeline(s) and its associated...
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May/June 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Mauricio Palomino at GE Oil & Gas, Measurement & Control Business
Machine-to-Machine connectivity combined with advanced computing capabilities and industry-focused software enable a wide range of new capabilities. From smart homes controlled over the internet, to smart electric grids with smart meters, sensors...
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Gains with Advanced Data Assessment in ILI: Leveraging pipeline data to eliminate risk, prioritize and schedule necessary repairsMay/June 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ian D. Smith, P.Eng. at Quest Integrity Group, and Michael McGee at Quest Integrity Group
For traditional in-line inspection (ILI) vendors, considering 21.4 miles of a piggable 4” diesel pipeline is typically not a big deal. However, significant threats like 3rd party damage and external corrosion seem to come with the territory in...
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Combining High Resolution In-Line Geometry Tools and Finite Element Analysis to Improve Dent AssessmentsMay/June 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Rhett Dotson, P.E. at Stress Engineering Services
Historically, regulations regarding dent severity have been governed by one of two metrics: dent depth or strain. In the case of the former, plain dents with a depth up to 6% of the nominal diameter are permitted in both gas and liquid pipelines....
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May/June 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Vibha Zaman, P.E. at Asset Optimization Consultants, and Peter Dsouza at LyondellBasell
Verifying pipeline integrity is particularly challenging due to the difficulty of pipeline access, as well as the limitations in available technology to perform subsea wall thickness inspections. These challenges require action rather than reaction.
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January/February 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Layne Tucker at EchoRFID, Jim Anspach at Cardno, Inc., and Steve Slusarenko at ProStar Geocorp, Inc.
In the Oil & Gas business we have hundreds of event process chains, each of which bears a cost and contains certain elements of risk. So what can we do to reduce our burden and improve our business? Let’s take a look at the current state of...
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Online Article
Jim Svetgoff, Corrosion Advisor at Devon Energy recently interviewed with American Business Conferences for the Crude Pipeline Asset Integrity Congress 2014.
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September/October 2014 Inspectioneering JournalBy Layne Tucker at EchoRFID, and Peter Forster at ProStar
Recently developed RFID best practices provide an opportunity for pipeline businesses to transform their asset management and pipeline integrity management processes away from traditional paper-based systems to more efficient, highly-integrated...
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September/October 2014 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Tiratsoo at Pipelines International
The pigging industry has developed a tremendous range of techniques and technologies, and it is probably fair to say that there are few pipelines in the world that cannot be cleaned and inspected, although the success of such operations will often...
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May/June 2014 Inspectioneering JournalBy Sergio Oliva at Wild Well Control
An adequate characterization of the Keystone XL special conditions from the perspective of pipeline integrity and risk would be advantageous from the system onset for identifying latent flaws in the system spill prevention plans.
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March/April 2014 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ron Maurier at Quest Integrity Group, LLC, and Dan Revelle, Sr. at Quest Integrity Group, LLC
New inline inspections and integrity management systems allow operators to understand the complexities and economics of terminals’ and station’s complex aging pipeline infrastructure.
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Online Article
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November/December 2013 Inspectioneering JournalBy Tyler Alvarado at Inspectioneering
Inspectioneering recently had the privilege of speaking with Tom Wanzeck, Vice President of Integrity Services with Willbros Group, Inc. Tom spent more than 20 years managing assets on the owner-operator side before making the leap to the service...
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September/October 2013 Inspectioneering JournalBy Joe Pikas at Technical Toolboxes
Even though oil and gas pipelines and their related facilities are generally safer for people and the environment compared to other means of transportation, occasional leaks and failures due to corrosion and other defects have become an issue in...
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September/October 2013 Inspectioneering JournalBy Rex Schrunk P.E. at Willbros Engineers
Now, more than ever, pipeline owners and operators are under intense scrutiny to ensure safe and dependable pipeline systems.
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January/February 2013 Inspectioneering JournalBy Devon Brendecke, P.E. at Quest Integrity Group
The benefits of adding fitness-for-service (FFS) assessments to energy sector reliability projects are numerous. The acceptance of API 579/ASME FFS-1 is increasing across the energy sector and other industries, as these benefits have been...
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May/June 2012 Inspectioneering JournalBy Clay Goudy at GE Industrial Solutions
A self-propelled in-line inspection tool tested at Electric Power Research Institute and utilized in Europe can traverse a complex piping configuration and discriminate areas of metal loss. This tool is becoming available to inspect traditionally...
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September/October 2010 Inspectioneering Journal
As the oil and gas industry matured regulators and the public have become more and more aware of the risks inherent in the business and increasingly require pipeline owners to demonstrate and document the safe and environmentally acceptable...
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November/December 2009 Inspectioneering JournalBy Stefan Papenfuss at Quest Integrity Group
Pipeline integrity management programs are largely driven by regulatory compliance and are typically budgeted years in advance. Operators of all sizes are looking for ways to reduce expenditures related to operational efficiency and safety in order...
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November/December 2007 Inspectioneering Journal
Because of widespread interest in the proposed revision in progress to NACE International standard SP0169 (formerly RP0169), "Control of External Corrosion on Underground or Submerged Metallic Piping Systems," NACE is sponsoring an...
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September/October 2007 Inspectioneering Journal
Interested in a review of liquid pipeline leak detection technology focused on monitoring and detection of small leaks?
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July/August 2007 Inspectioneering JournalBy Paul Jackson at Plant Integrity Ltd., and Tat-Hean Gan at TWI Ltd.
The integrity of pipelines is a natural concern for pipeline operators, and so the ability to detect corrosion, erosion and mechanical damage in pipes is therefore of significant interest. Traditional methods of detection, such as pigging and...
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January/February 2007 Inspectioneering Journal
NACE International has approved two highly anticipated standards dedicated to the control of internal pipeline corrosion.
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September/October 2006 Inspectioneering JournalBy F Egan at Zadco, D G Jones at PII Pipeline Solutions business of GE Oil & Gas, and J Healy at Macaw Engineering Ltd
Active corrosion in onshore and offshore pipelines is an increasing problem. Consequently, pipeline operators regularly use intelligent inspection pigs to detect and size corrosion. Inspection data can be combined with probability based...
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November/December 2005 Inspectioneering Journal
A few years ago, TWI investigated a corrosion failure in a 30 inch crude oil pipeline that regrettably led to an explosion and fire, and the death of several operating personnel. The pipeline was designed to ASME B31.4 and the investigation found...
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September/October 2004 Inspectioneering JournalBy Julian Speck at TWI Ltd., and Peter Mudge at Pi Ltd.
The impetus for the development of LRUT is that ultrasonic thickness checks for corrosion, erosion, etc. are localised, in that they only measure the thickness of the area under the UT transducer.
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May/June 2004 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
Soil corrosion (underground corrosion) is another one of those extensively researched and documented types of corrosion, since so many pipes and pipelines are buried and nearly all storage tanks rest on the soil. An entire industry/ technology is...
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March/April 2003 Inspectioneering JournalBy Dr. Nand K. Gupta at Omega International Technology, Inc.
During the past two years, a new High Resolution Gamma Ray Detector Array System to detect and measure small corrosion pits in real-time in the inservice piping in process industries, has been in development. This High Resolution Gamma Ray...
Videos related to Pipelines
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Sponsored Video Published on June 14, 2017Effective pipeline integrity management has been problematic for a large number of pipelines that were not designed for in-line inspection. Quest Integrity understands the complexities involved with this challenging segment and offers a...
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Sponsored Video Published on May 15, 2017InVista Subsea, an advanced ultrasonic ILI tool from Quest Integrity, provides a solution for challenging and difficult-to-inspect subsea pipelines.
Events related to Pipelines
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December 9 - 10 2020Location: College Station, Texas, United States
Hosted By: ASME
Dates: December 9, 2020 - December 10, 2020
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November 10 - 12 2020Location: Virtual Event
Hosted By: American Petroleum Institute
Dates: November 10, 2020 - November 12, 2020
Conferences Exhibitions & Trade Shows Online Events -
November 9 - 20 2020Location: Virtual Event
Hosted By: American Petroleum Institute
Dates: November 9, 2020 - November 20, 2020
Conferences Exhibitions & Trade Shows Standards & Committee Meetings -
February 22 - 26 2021Location: Houston, Texas, United States
Hosted By: Clarion Technical Conferences
Dates: February 22, 2021 - February 26, 2021
Conferences Exhibitions & Trade Shows Training Courses -
October 12 - 16 2020Location: Virtual Event
Hosted By: American Petroleum Institute
Dates: October 12, 2020 - October 16, 2020
Conferences Exhibitions & Trade Shows Seminars & Workshops -
March 1 - 5 2021Location: Virtual Event
Hosted By: IPEIA
Dates: March 1, 2021 - March 5, 2021
Conferences Exhibitions & Trade Shows Training Courses
News related to Pipelines
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NewsClarion Technical Conferences, April 30, 2020
The 33rd annual Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management (PPIM) Conference and Exhibition is now accepting papers for the 2021 event.
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Partner Content
InVista is a lightweight, hand-held ultrasonic in-line inspection tool (intelligent pig) capable of detecting pipeline wall loss and corrosion in unpiggable or difficult-to-inspect pipelines. The pipeline geometry inspection data captured by the...
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NewsInspectioneering Staff, April 14, 2020
The American Petroleum Institute has published an updated 2nd Edition of Recommended Practice 1169 - Pipeline Construction Inspection.
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NewsReuters, November 1, 2019
TC Energy Corp said on Wednesday that a response team contained an oil spill in Walsh County, North Dakota from its Keystone crude pipeline.
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NewsPembina Pipeline Corporation, August 22, 2019
Pembina Pipeline Corporation is acquiring Kinder Morgan Canada Limited in a multi-billion dollar deal.
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NewsReuters, August 2, 2019
The blast near Danville, Kentucky was the second so far this year on the Texas Eastern system following an explosion in Ohio in January that injured at least two people.
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NewsReuters, June 18, 2019
Canada, as expected on Tuesday, approved a hotly contested proposal to expand the Trans Mountain oil pipeline it bought last year.
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NewsU.S. Department of Transportation, May 19, 2016
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced today that it has completed its investigation of the May 19, 2015, Plains All-American pipeline release in Santa Barbara County,...
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NewsU.S. Pipeline and Hazardouse Materials Safety Administration, July 6, 2015
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardouse Materials Safety Administration has proposed new requirements to strengthen Federal pipeline safety regulations related to pipeline accident and incident notification. The Operator...
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NewsNational Transportation Safety Board, January 27, 2015
The National Transportation Safety Board today adopted a safety study on integrity management of gas transmission pipelines in high consequence areas. Integrity management is the process by which pipeline operators and inspectors find and address...
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Press ReleaseAmerican Petroleum Institute, January 15, 2014
Pipelines are extremely safe and efficient for transporting energy across the United States, the industry’s continual efforts to improve the safety of the nation’s network of crude and petroleum product pipelines have reduced pipeline...
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