U.S. pipeline regulators are kick-starting an overhaul of repair requirements for natural gas and carbon dioxide lines — and asking about how to make standards more cost-effective.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration put out a call Tuesday for public input on the agency’s plans to modernize decades-old regulations for gas transmission and hazardous liquid lines.
Ben Kochman, the agency’s acting administrator, said federal regulations need to keep up with advancements in pipeline safety technology. The repair criteria and “remediation timelines” for hazardous liquid and CO2 pipelines, PHMSA said, have been “relatively static for decades.”
“Modernizing pipeline repair requirements will encourage innovation and improve the safety and efficiency of energy infrastructure throughout the country,” Kochman said in a news release.
