Major New Pipeline Safety Program Being Readied By PHMSA

The federal pipeline safety agency is opening a new front in its efforts to improve gas and oil pipeline safety. The integrity verification process (IVP), previewed this summer by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), would be an “add-on” to the existing Integrity Management (IM) program, which obligates pipelines to test segments in “high-consequence areas (HCAs).” There are 18,000 miles of pipeline in HCAs.