U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy express support for pipeline owners and operators voluntarily adopting new safety management systems outlined by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
In an announcement on Tuesday, Duffy said using SMS will enhance pipeline safety and the PHMSA advisory bulletin released earlier will enhance pipeline safety.
“We are committed to carrying out President Trump’s agenda to unleash American energy in all ways – big and small,” Duffy said. “Here at the Department of Transportation, that mission includes ensuring our natural resources can efficiently and securely reach consumers. Enhancing pipeline safety through innovative management systems is just one way we can boost our energy security and lower costs for the American people.”
The advisory bulletin from PHMSA published in the Federal Register advocates that all pipeline owners and operators adopt pipeline SMS – an organization-wide framework for evaluating, managing and responding to safety risks. The National Transportation Safety Board had encouraged the adoption of SMS since a July 2010 incident released more than 20,000 barrels of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River near Marshall, MI. After the release, the NTSB recommended the American Petroleum Institute facilitate the development of a pipeline SMS and a working group of stakeholders that included PHMSA issued the API Recommended Practice 1173 about pipeline SMS in 2015.
Since then, SMS has been implemented on nearly 90 percent of the 2.3 million-mile U.S. gas distribution pipeline network. Many smaller entities servicing less than 25,000 customers, have yet to implement the systems, officials said.
“Safety Management Systems bring about a much-needed evolution of internal pipeline safety management structures, policies, and procedures that will ultimately lead us to achieve our goal of zero incidents,” PHMSA Acting Administrator Ben Kochman said. “We encourage all regulated pipeline owners and operators to fully embrace the continuous improvement and enhanced safety benefits that come with implementing a pipeline SMS.”