Safety
Closer Look at Flammability, Inerting of Complex Hydrocarbon Mixtures
In the lifetime of oil and gas pipelines there are numerous events that could pose the potential of an explosion hazard. In case of air purging, flammable mixtures are created in pipelines in an uncontrolled manner. This article covers basic flammability and inerting principles and applications of mobile nitrogen unit technology has been proven safer than air purging while maintaining high operational flexibility.
‘Cradle-to-Grave’ Documentation Enhances Safety in Pipeline Projects
It’s common practice to identify and log materials when they are delivered by the manufacturer and upon installation in the ground. Two California utilities have developed an approach in which the documentation travels with the materials at all times.
Improving Your Company’s Safety Culture
Pipeline companies have a responsibility to protect the general public and the environment by managing critical infrastructure assets safely. How safe a pipeline is has to do with its equipment, control systems and procedures, as well as with the culture the company operating the pipeline and its employees exude.
TransCanada Working on Leach Xpress Pipe after W. Va. Incident
TransCanada Corp’s Columbia Gas Transmission (TCO) unit said it was working on a section of the Leach Xpress natural gas pipeline downstream of an incident in West Virginia last week.
Judge Dismisses Complaint Against Pipeline Security Company
A judge on Wednesday dismissed a complaint that North Dakota regulators filed against a North Carolina-based company that handled security for the developer of the heavily protested Dakota Access oil pipeline.
Gas Utility Customers Show Greater Satisfaction Levels
Pipeline & Gas Journal staff report In a year that saw growing efforts to improve safety through direct customer outreach and residential safety inspections, the latest J.D. Power Gas Utility Business Customers Study found gas utility customers increasingly satisfied. This represents the sixth yea..
Automating Surge Analysis Studies Saves Time, Money
For pipeline operators, automating surge analysis studies is smart business.
Communication and Control Rooms: Mandated Training For Controllers
In an effort to improve communication, PHMSA has made it mandatory to have team training for controllers and individuals that interact with the control room.
Control Room Team Training – Creating a Culture of Pipeline Safety
Pipeline Performance Group's new educational course helps pipeline companies follow PHMSA's recently amended Control Room Management regulations.
Major Safety Milestone Achieved by Pipeline Contractor
Pipeline contractor achieves major safety milestone.
Utility Reminds People to Call 811 Before Digging
In honor of National Safe Digging Day tomorrow, Aug. 11, Dominion Energy Ohio today announced a reminder that Ohio law mandates that property owners and contractors to call 8-1-1 — to have underground utility lines marked — at least two business days, but no more than 10 business days, prior to any ..
Call 811 Before Digging, PG&E Says
In honor of National Safe Digging Day on Friday, August 11, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is asking all Californians to help prevent damage to gas pipelines and other underground utilities. With a free call to 811 or submission on 811express.com at least two working days ahead of any diggi..
OSHA Announces Inaugural Safe + Sound Week
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has designated June 12-18, 2017, as “Safe + Sound Week,” a new nationwide effort that urges organizations of all sizes in a wide range of industries to raise awareness of the value and importance of workplace safety and hea..
Pipeline Safety Seminars to be held in West Virginia
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia and the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association are holding Pipeline Safety Seminars in Charleston on April 20 and Bridgeport on April 25, 2017. The one-day seminars will focus on a review of federal and state requirements including recent changes..
PECO, Higher Ed. Partner on Next-Generation Natural Gas Workforce
Providing safe and reliable natural gas service is the hallmark of every natural gas distribution company. This takes a committed approach to investing in state-of-the-art equipment and best-practice sharing among industry peers to improve operations and implement the latest safety trends. New equi..
SoCalGas Makes Pipeline Safety a Top Priority
SoCalGas increases its commitment to safely working on pipeline construction projects by joining the Gold Shovel Standard.
Deal-making, Increased Pipeline Safety on Tap for 2017
Construction management and consulting firm, TRC Companies, released its top 12 predictions for the energy, utility, and oil and gas sectors for 2017, which included robust funding for utility mergers, acquisitions and infrastructure upgrades, along with big shifts in power plant and pipeline constr..
PHMSA Requires Faster Notification Following Pipeline Accidents
New pipeline regulations from PHMSA require quicker notification following accidents.
Transportation Secretary Appoints 24 Members to Pipeline Safety Working Group
PHMSA appoints 24 to group tasked with improving pipeline inspection information sharing.
NiSource Opens Employee Training Center Featuring ‘Mock Town’
MONACA, PA – Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of NiSource, recently opened a modern, centralized training facility for employees who operate and maintain its natural gas distribution system. The $10 million, 22,000-square-foot facility is the first of four leading-edge training centers th..
Michigan Panel that Oversees Pipeline Network to Meet Today
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A state panel that oversees the safety of pipelines carrying oil and other substances around Michigan is meeting Monday. The Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Michigan Agency for Energy building in Lansing. The board is c..
Regulator: Dakota Access Pipeline Worker Killed in Accident
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A man working on the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline was killed in an apparent accident in western North Dakota, a state regulator said Saturday. North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk said the man, whose name has not been released, died of his injuries Frid..
New Report Confirms Pipelines Are One of the Safest Ways to Transport Energy
API has released a new report, with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL), confirming that pipelines continue to be one of the safest ways to efficiently transport energy across the United States. The report highlights liquid pipeline safety performance and industry-wide efforts to improve pipeli..
Feds Order More Upgrades to Spectra Pipelines After Blast
GREENSBURG, Pa (AP) – A federal agency has ordered a natural gas pipeline company to upgrade three lines buried in western Pennsylvania, including one that has corrosion similar to a fourth line that blew up in April, scorching some 40 acres. The Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration..
Upgrades to Unsafe Tank Cars Could Take 15 Years, Board Says
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Accident-prone tank cars used to haul crude oil and ethanol by rail could remain in service for another 15 years under federal rules that allow companies to phase in upgrades to the aging fleet, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Transportation offici..
Firm: California Spill Went Undetected Due to Pipeline Work
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — The operator of a pipeline that spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into a Southern California ravine said Friday it didn’t detect the leak because the line was undergoing maintenance. Crimson Pipeline said the remotely monitored line was emptied on Wednesday to ..
Cleanup Underway After California Oil Pipeline Spill
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of gallons of crude oil spilled Thursday from a pipeline and flowed down a ravine in Southern California but did not reach the ocean, officials said. As much as 29,400 gallons of oil spilled and flowed a quarter- to half-mile from the spill, fire authorities said. ..
New Pipeline Safety Bill Heads for House Passage; Senate Bill Waiting
Two House committees passed nearly identical pipeline safety bills. Once combined into a single piece of legislation, the House will work with the Senate, which previously passed a bill, to come up with a single version for President Obama’s signature. All three bills pale beside the 2011 pipeline b..
Shell: Pipeline Fixed after California Oil Spill
Officials at Shell Oil Co. say crews have repaired an underground pipeline after it broke and spilled up to 21,000 gallons of oil in rural Northern California. Company spokesman Ray Fisher said Tuesday that workers are running small amounts of oil through the pipeline to test it and are working on ..
Despite Leak, Sempra CEO Gets Hefty Bonus
The same year a broken Sempra Energy storage well created the biggest natural gas leak in U.S. history, CEO Debra Reed earned her largest bonus yet. While Reed received no payout for the part of her 2015 bonus that’s tied to customer satisfaction and pipeline safety at two Sempra utilities, amounti..

- Energy Transfer Wins New York Court Ruling in $150 Million Pipeline Fraud Case
- $3 Billion Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion to Add 1.3 Bcf Capacity in Southeast Region
- Trump Puts Keystone XL Pipeline Back in Discussion, Though Revival Faces Developer Resistance
- Boardwalk Approves 110-Mile, 1.16 Bcf/d Mississippi Kosci Junction Pipeline Project
- Kinder Morgan Approves $1.4 Billion Mississippi Crossing Project to Boost Southeast Gas Supply
- Enbridge Should Rethink Old, Troubled Line 5 Pipeline, IEEFA Says
- GOP Lawmakers Slam New York for Blocking $500 Million Pipeline Project
- Texas Oil Company Challenges $250 Million Insurance Collateral Demand for Pipeline, Offshore Operations
- Phillips 66 to Sell $865 Million Stake in 500-Mile Gulf Coast Express Pipeline to ArcLight
- NDT, Aramco to Launch 56-Inch Inspection Tool