View all text of Chapter 601 [§ 60101 - § 60143]
§ 60108. Inspection and maintenance
(a)Plans.—
(1) Each person owning or operating a gas pipeline facility or hazardous liquid pipeline facility shall carry out a current written plan (including any changes) for inspection and maintenance of each facility used in the transportation and owned or operated by the person. A copy of the plan shall be kept at any office of the person the Secretary of Transportation considers appropriate. The Secretary also may require a person owning or operating a pipeline facility subject to this chapter to file a plan for inspection and maintenance for approval.
(2) If the Secretary or a State authority responsible for enforcing standards prescribed under this chapter decides that a plan required under paragraph (1) of this subsection is inadequate for safe operation, the Secretary or authority shall require the person to revise the plan. Revision may be required only after giving notice and an opportunity for a hearing. A plan required under paragraph (1) must be practicable and designed to meet the need for pipeline safety, must meet the requirements of any regulations promulgated under section 60102(q), and must include terms designed to enhance the ability to discover safety-related conditions described in section 60102(h)(1) of this title. In deciding on the adequacy of a plan, the Secretary or authority shall consider—
(A) relevant available pipeline safety information;
(B) the appropriateness of the plan for the particular kind of pipeline transportation or facility;
(C) the reasonableness of the plan;
(D) the extent to which the plan will contribute to—
(i) public safety;
(ii) eliminating hazardous leaks and minimizing releases of natural gas from pipeline facilities; and
(iii) the protection of the environment; and
(E) the extent to which the plan addresses the replacement or remediation of pipelines that are known to leak based on the material (including cast iron, unprotected steel, wrought iron, and historic plastics with known issues), design, or past operating and maintenance history of the pipeline.
(3)Review of plans.—
(A)In general.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this subparagraph, and not less frequently than once every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary or relevant State authority with a certification in effect under section 60105 shall review each plan described in this subsection.
(B)Context of review.—The Secretary may conduct a review under this paragraph as an element of the inspection of the operator carried out by the Secretary under subsection (b).
(C)Inadequate programs.—If the Secretary determines that a plan reviewed under this paragraph does not comply with the requirements of this chapter (including any regulations promulgated under this chapter), has not been adequately implemented, is inadequate for the safe operation of a pipeline facility, or is otherwise inadequate, the Secretary may conduct enforcement proceedings under this chapter.
(b)Inspection and Testing.—
(1) The Secretary shall inspect and require appropriate testing of a pipeline facility subject to this chapter that is not covered by a certification under section 60105 of this title or an agreement under section 60106 of this title. The Secretary shall decide on the frequency and type of inspection and testing under this subsection on a case-by-case basis after considering the following:
(A) the location of the pipeline facility.
(B) the type, size, age, manufacturer, method of construction, construction material, and condition of the pipeline facility.
(C) the nature and volume of material transported through the pipeline facility.
(D) the pressure at which that material is transported.
(E) climatic, geologic, and seismic characteristics (including soil characteristics) and conditions of the area in which the pipeline facility is located.
(F) existing and projected population and demographic characteristics of the area in which the pipeline facility is located.
(G) for a hazardous liquid pipeline facility, the proximity of the area in which the facility is located to an area that is unusually sensitive to environmental damage.
(H) the frequency of leaks.
(I) other factors the Secretary decides are relevant to the safety of pipeline facilities.
(2) To the extent and in amounts provided in advance in an appropriation law, the Secretary shall decide on the frequency of inspection under paragraph (1) of this subsection. The Secretary may reduce the frequency of an inspection of a master meter system.
(3) Testing under this subsection shall use the most appropriate technology practicable.
(c)Pipeline Facilities Offshore and in Other Waters.—
(1) In this subsection—
(A) “abandoned” means permanently removed from service.
(B) “pipeline facility” includes an underwater abandoned pipeline facility.
(C) if a pipeline facility has no operator, the most recent operator of the facility is deemed to be the operator of the facility.
(2)
(A) Not later than May 16, 1993, on the basis of experience with the inspections under section 3(h)(1)(A) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 or section 203(l)(1)(A) of the Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Act of 1979, as appropriate, and any other information available to the Secretary, the Secretary shall establish a mandatory, systematic, and, where appropriate, periodic inspection program of—
(i) all offshore pipeline facilities; and
(ii) any other pipeline facility crossing under, over, or through waters where a substantial likelihood of commercial navigation exists, if the Secretary decides that the location of the facility in those waters could pose a hazard to navigation or public safety.
(B) In prescribing standards to carry out subparagraph (A) of this paragraph—
(i) the Secretary shall identify what is a hazard to navigation with respect to an underwater abandoned pipeline facility; and
(ii) for an underwater pipeline facility abandoned after October 24, 1992, the Secretary shall include requirements that will lessen the potential that the facility will pose a hazard to navigation and shall consider the relationship between water depth and navigational safety and factors relevant to the local marine environment.
(3)
(A) The Secretary shall establish by regulation a program requiring an operator of a pipeline facility described in paragraph (2) of this subsection to report a potential or existing navigational hazard involving that pipeline facility to the Secretary through the appropriate Coast Guard office.
(B) The operator of a pipeline facility described in paragraph (2) of this subsection that discovers any part of the pipeline facility that is a hazard to navigation shall mark the location of the hazardous part with a Coast-Guard-approved marine buoy or marker and immediately shall notify the Secretary as provided by the Secretary under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph. A marine buoy or marker used under this subparagraph is deemed a pipeline sign or right-of-way marker under section 60123(c) of this title.
(4)
(A) The Secretary shall establish a standard that each pipeline facility described in paragraph (2) of this subsection that is a hazard to navigation is buried not later than 6 months after the date the condition of the facility is reported to the Secretary. The Secretary may extend that 6-month period for a reasonable period to ensure compliance with this paragraph.
(B) In prescribing standards for subparagraph (A) of this paragraph for an underwater pipeline facility abandoned after October 24, 1992, the Secretary shall include requirements that will lessen the potential that the facility will pose a hazard to navigation and shall consider the relationship between water depth and navigational safety and factors relevant to the local marine environment.
(5)
(A) Not later than October 24, 1994, the Secretary shall establish standards on what is an exposed offshore pipeline facility and what is a hazard to navigation under this subsection.
(B) Not later than 6 months after the Secretary establishes standards under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, or October 24, 1995, whichever occurs first, the operator of each offshore pipeline facility not described in section 3(h)(1)(A) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 or section 203(l)(1)(A) of the Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Act of 1979, as appropriate, shall inspect the facility and report to the Secretary on any part of the facility that is exposed or is a hazard to navigation. This subparagraph applies only to a facility that is between the high water mark and the point at which the subsurface is under 15 feet of water, as measured from mean low water. An inspection that occurred after October 3, 1989, may be used for compliance with this subparagraph if the inspection conforms to the requirements of this subparagraph.
(C) The Secretary may extend the time period specified in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph for not more than 6 months if the operator of a facility satisfies the Secretary that the operator has made a good faith effort, with reasonable diligence, but has been unable to comply by the end of that period.
(6)
(A) The operator of a pipeline facility abandoned after October 24, 1992, shall report the abandonment to the Secretary in a way that specifies whether the facility has been abandoned properly according to applicable United States Government and State requirements.
(B) Not later than October 24, 1995, the operator of a pipeline facility abandoned before October 24, 1992, shall report to the Secretary reasonably available information related to the facility, including information that a third party possesses. The information shall include the location, size, date, and method of abandonment, whether the facility has been abandoned properly under applicable law, and other relevant information the Secretary may require. Not later than April 24, 1994, the Secretary shall specify how the information shall be reported. The Secretary shall ensure that the Government maintains the information in a way accessible to appropriate Government agencies and State authorities.
(C) The Secretary shall request that a State authority having information on a collision between a vessel and an underwater pipeline facility report the information to the Secretary in a timely way and make a reasonable effort to specify the location, date, and severity of the collision. Chapter 35 of title 44 does not apply to this subparagraph.
(7) The Secretary may not exempt from this chapter an offshore hazardous liquid pipeline facility only because the pipeline facility transfers hazardous liquid in an underwater pipeline between a vessel and an onshore facility.
(8) If, after reviewing existing Federal and State regulations for hazardous liquid gathering lines located offshore in the United States, including within the inlets of the Gulf of Mexico, the Secretary determines it is appropriate, the Secretary shall issue regulations, after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, subjecting offshore hazardous liquid gathering lines and hazardous liquid gathering lines located within the inlets of the Gulf of Mexico to the same standards and regulations as other hazardous liquid gathering lines. The regulations issued under this paragraph shall not apply to production pipelines or flow lines.
(d)Replacing Cast Iron Gas Pipelines.—
(1) The Secretary shall publish a notice on the availability of industry guidelines, developed by the Gas Piping Technology Committee, for replacing cast iron pipelines. Not later than 2 years after the guidelines become available, the Secretary shall conduct a survey of gas pipeline operators with cast iron pipe in their systems to establish—
(A) the extent to which each operator has adopted a plan for the safe management and replacement of cast iron;
(B) the elements of the plan, including the anticipated rate of replacement; and
(C) the progress that has been made.
(2) Chapter 35 of title 44 does not apply to the conduct of the survey.
(3) This subsection does not prevent the Secretary from developing Government guidelines or standards for cast iron gas pipelines as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(4) Not later than December 31, 2012, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall conduct a follow-up survey to measure the progress that owners and operators of pipeline facilities have made in adopting and implementing their plans for the safe management and replacement of cast iron gas pipelines.
(e)In General.—After the completion of a Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration pipeline safety inspection, the Administrator of such Administration, or the State authority certified under section 60105 of title 49, United States Code, to conduct such inspection, shall—
(1) within 30 days, conduct a post-inspection briefing with the owner or operator of the gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility inspected outlining any concerns; and
(2) within 90 days, to the extent practicable, provide the owner or operator with written preliminary findings of the inspection.
(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1312; Pub. L. 104–304, §§ 6, 20(h), Oct. 12, 1996, 110 Stat. 3800, 3805; Pub. L. 112–90, §§ 7(a), 18(a), 21(c), Jan. 3, 2012, 125 Stat. 1910, 1916, 1917; Pub. L. 114–183, § 7(a), June 22, 2016, 130 Stat. 518; Pub. L. 116–260, div. R, title I, § 114(a), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2230.)