[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-1255]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 19, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
 

Pipeline Safety Advisory Bulletin ADB-94-01; Supplemental 
Incident/Accident Reports

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), Department 
of Transportation.

ACTION: Advisory to owners and operators of natural and other gas 
pipeline facilities and hazardous liquids pipeline facilities 
concerning certain requirements applying to (1) supplemental incident 
and accident reports and (2) estimated property damage totals.

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SUMMARY: This advisory (1) reminds pipeline facility owners and 
operators to submit supplements to gas pipeline incident and hazardous 
liquid pipeline accident reports as required by the regulations, (2) 
clarifies what should be included in estimated property damage totals 
on incident/accident reports, and (3) cancels a previous interpretation 
on costs to be included in these estimated property damage totals.

Advisory

    Written incident reports are required under 49 CFR 191.9 for gas 
distribution systems and 49 CFR 191.15 for gas transmission and 
gathering systems and accident reports are required under 49 CFR 195.54 
for hazardous liquid pipeline systems. After the initial report has 
been submitted, the operator is required to submit a supplemental 
written report whenever additional relevant information is obtained 
concerning the particular incident or accident. The form to be used for 
supplemental reports is the same as for the initial report, and 
submittal must be no later than 30 days after acquiring the additional 
information.
    All relevant costs must be included in the estimated property 
damage total on the initial written incident or accident report as well 
as supplemental reports. This includes (but is not limited to) costs 
due to property damage to the operator's facilities and to property of 
others, commodity/product not recovered, facility repair and 
replacement, gas distribution service restoration and relighting, leak 
locating, right-of-way clean up and environmental clean up and damage. 
Facility repair, replacement or change that is not related to the 
incident but is done by the operator as a matter of convenience (for 
example, to take advantage of access to facilities unearthed because of 
the incident) should not be included.
    An April 2, 1974, letter from the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) 
to Lakehead Pipeline Company included an interpretation that ``* * * 
the value of any commodity lost or fittings used during repair which 
become permanently attached to the system * * *'' is not to be included 
in the estimate of total property damage. This interpretation is no 
longer applicable.

Background

    A review of a sampling of incident and accident reports has 
revealed two problems with the reports:
    (1) Supplemental reports were seldom submitted, and (2) many 
estimates of property damage totals were low and appeared to be 
incomplete, particularly in regard to environmental damage including 
costs associated with cleanup.
    With regard to item (1), this advisory is a reminder to operators 
that supplemental reports updating data in the report are required to 
be submitted to OPS. Concerning item (2), there has been some 
misunderstanding on what costs to include in estimating property damage 
totals, perhaps because of the April 2, 1974, OPS letter to Lakehead 
Pipe Line Company. OPS wants all property damage costs associated with 
the failures reported on the report forms, particularly the costs of 
environmental damage and cleanup costs. Property damage costs that are 
determined after the initial submittal of the report forms should be 
submitted in additional supplemental report forms.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 13, 1994.
Richard L. Beam,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 94-1255 Filed 1-18-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P