September 2016, Vol. 243, No. 9
Government
Pipelines Support ‘Ends’ of PHMSA Proposal, Not the ‘Means’
Pipelines Support ‘Ends’ of PHMSA Proposal, Not the ‘Means’ Broad pipeline industry opposition to several aspects of the newly proposed transmission pipeline regulations is as much about methane emissions as it is about safety. The proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), issued in April and ostensibly responsive to both congressional requirements and recommendations for the National Transportation Safety Board, has as its key requirement the use of hydrostatic testing on a number of categories of pipelines. The requirement would force the industry to establish or re-establish maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP). But the need for “blowdowns
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