United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2000-05-15 monographic deposited born digital 66 p. GA 1.13:RCED-00-128 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-00-128 P0b002ee18039a8b5 f:rc00128 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-RCED-00-128 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-00-128 RCED-00-128 Pipeline operations Transportation industry Transportation safety Hazardous substances Gas pipeline operations Accident prevention Inspection Performance measures Bellingham (WA) DOT Risk Demonstration Program Letter Report RCED

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Transportation Office of Pipeline Safety's (OPS) performance in regulating pipeline safety, focusing on: (1) the extent of major pipeline accidents from 1989 through 1998; (2) OPS' implementation of the 1996 Accountable Pipeline Safety and Partnership Act's risk management demonstration program; (3) OPS' inspection and enforcement efforts since the act's implementation; and (4) OPS' responsiveness to recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and to statutory requirements designed to improve pipeline safety.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) from 1989 through 1998, pipeline accidents resulted in an average of about 22 fatalities per year; (2) the total number of major pipeline accidents (those resulting in a fatality, an injury, or property damage of $50,000 or more) increased by about 4 percent annually over this 10-year period; (3) most fatalities and injuries occurred as a result of accidents on pipelines that transport natural gas to homes and businesses, while most property damage occurred as a result of accidents on pipelines transporting hazardous liquids; (4) OPS's data indicate that damage from outside forces, such as excavation, is the primary cause of such accidents; (5) OPS has implemented a risk management demonstration program and has approved six demonstration projects; (6) OPS issued guidance on performance measures for the overall program and for individual projects but has not established specific measures of the program's impact on safety, as the act requires; (7) even though the projects are not complete and their safety benefits have not been quantified, OPS is moving ahead with a risk-based approach to safety regulation based partially on preliminary qualitative results of the program; (8) specifically, OPS has proposed a rule that would require some companies that operate hazardous liquid pipelines that run through high-risk areas to implement a program to comprehensively examine pipelines in these areas to identify and address potential risks, including assessing the current condition of their pipelines; (9) OPS also plans to take several actions that are necessary to implement the new approach, such as devising a method to review the companies' programs and hiring and training additional staff to conduct the reviews; (10) since the act's implementation, OPS has modified its inspection and enforcement approach so that entire pipelines are inspected in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of safety risks; (11) OPS has revised its enforcement of compliance with regulations by reducing its use of fines, and instead, working with operators to identify and correct safety problems; (12) OPS has not implemented some of the Safety Board's recommendations and requirements because it believes they would be too costly for the pipeline industry compared with the expected benefits; and (13) the OPS has recently taken action on some issues covered by outstanding recommendations and requirements, such as identifying countermeasures for preventing damage to pipelines from excavation and requiring pipeline operators to inspect their pipelines for corrosion. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-00-128/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-00-128.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-00-128/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-00-128.pdf GAO/RCED-00-128 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-00-128 Letter Report GAO/RCED-00-128; Pipeline Safety: The Office of Pipeline Safety Is Changing; Pipeline operations Transportation industry Transportation safety Hazardous substances Gas pipeline operations Accident prevention Inspection Performance measures Bellingham (WA) DOT Risk Demonstration Program Title 49 Section 60113 49 U.S.C. 60113 Public Law 100-561 Public Law 101-380 Public Law 101-599 Public Law 102-508 Public Law 104-304 Public Law 105-178