US appeals court removes several natural gas pipeline safety standards
Published by Isabel Stagg,
Editorial Assistant
World Pipelines,
A US appeals court on Friday 16 August, 2024, tossed out several natural gas pipeline safety standards adopted by President Joe Biden's administration following industry criticism about the massive costs on pipeline operators, outlines Reuters.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said, the US Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration failed to adequately explain why the revised standards' benefits outweigh their costs.
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, a trade group, had largely supported the revisions, but sued last year to challenge five that PHMSA adopted over its objections.
Those highly technical standards, finalised in 2022, included new requirements for operators to carry out repairs to address pipeline walls thinning or corroding or developing cracks and dents.
The trade group welcomed the ruling. The agency did not respond to a request for comment.
US Circuit Judge Florence Pan, writing for Friday's three-judge panel, said the PHMSA's analysis of the costs of the new standards were inadequate, inconsistent or missing.
"Because the agency imposed a new safety requirement without properly addressing the costs of doing so, the standard cannot stand," Pan, a Biden appointee, said of one of the new requirements.
The court upheld a fifth new standard the trade group had challenged, which addressed monitoring for a type of pipe anomaly that occurs when corrosion and high pressure cause cracks.
?
Read the latest issue of World Pipelines magazine for pipeline news, project stories, industry insight and technical articles.
World Pipelines’ August 2024 issue
The August 2024 issue of World Pipelines includes a keynote section on pipeline project management, technical articles on inspection, condition assessment, servicing, and surface preparation. We also cover OT software, CO2 and hydrogen pipelines, and pipeline construction topics.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/regulations-and-standards/19082024/us-appeals-court-removes-several-natural-gas-pipeline-safety-standards/
You might also like
World Pipelines Podcast: All things Canada, with the PLCAC
Elizabeth Corner speaks to Kevin O’Donnell, Executive Director of the PLCAC, about how membership organisations benefit the pipeline sector and those who work in it, discussing events, networking, resources, training, skills development, and learning.
Altrad completes acquisition of Stork’s UK business
Altrad has confirmed it has completed the purchase of Stork TS Holdings Limited which holds the Stork UK group of companies.