Ensuring Timely Pipeline
Shutdowns in Emergencies

When to Install Rupture Mitigation Valves

_____

Committee for a Study on Criteria for
Installing Automatic and Remote-Control
Shutoff Valves on Existing Gas and
Hazardous Liquid Transmission Pipelines

Transportation Research Board

Consensus Study Report

Transportation Research Board Special Report 349

Subscriber Categories: Pipelines; policy; safety and human factors; and energy

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This study was sponsored by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71641-3
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-71641-1
Digital Object Identifier: http://doi.org/10.17226/27521

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COMMITTEE FOR A STUDY ON CRITERIA FOR INSTALLING AUTOMATIC AND REMOTE-CONTROL SHUTOFF VALVES ON EXISTING GAS AND HAZARDOUS LIQUID TRANSMISSION PIPELINES

IAN P. SAVAGE (Chair), Northwestern University

LORI S. BENNEAR, Duke University

ROBERT B. GILBERT (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin

SARA R. GOSMAN, University of Arkansas School of Law

ORVILLE D. HARRIS, O.B. Harris, LLC

GARY D. KENNEY, Sine Rivali, LLC

SCOTT A. MARSHALL, Virginia State Corporation Commission

EDWARD M. MARSZAL, Kenexis

ALISON E. MILLERICK, Independent Consultant

CASSANDRA K. MOODY, Time For Change, LLC

Transportation Research Board Staff

MICAH D. HIMMEL, Study Director (August 2021–October 2023)

THOMAS R. MENZIES, JR., Director, Consensus and Advisory Studies Division

BRITTANY BISHOP, Program Officer

TIMOTHY B. MARFLAK, Program Coordinator

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Reviewers

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report, nor did they see the final draft before its

release. The review of this report was overseen by CHRIS T. HENRICKSON (NAE), Carnegie Mellon University, and CRAIG E. PHILIP (NAE), Vanderbilt University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

Acknowledgments

The committee thanks the numerous individuals who contributed to its work. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) liaison for the study was Joshua Johnson, who provided contract oversight and handled information requests from study staff. The committee was briefed by or received information from pipeline safety regulators, accident investigators, pipeline operator personnel, industry association representatives, subject matter experts in risk assessment and pipeline release impact modeling, experts in benefit-cost analysis, and pipeline safety advocates. The committee expresses its gratitude to the following individuals.

From federal, state, and foreign pipeline safety regulatory agencies: John Gale, Blaine Keener, Alan Mayberry, Mary McDaniel, Steve Nanney, and Ronald Raunikar, PHMSA; Iain Colquhoun and Joe Paviglianiti, Canada Energy Regulator; Jim Hosler, CAL FIRE; Thomas James and Fred Williams, Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom; and Philip Oakes, National Association of State Fire Marshals.

From the National Transportation Safety Board: Alexandria Colletti and Sara Lyons. From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Tricia Edwards, Jeffrey Kimble, and Karen Peaceman.

From pipeline operators: Dirk Ayala, Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Eddie Boone, Duke Energy; Suzanne King and Michael O’Shea, Xcel Energy; Timothy Lajiness, DTE Energy; and Matthew Young, ExxonMobil. From NuStar Energy, which hosted the committee for a site visit in San Antonio, Texas: Jerry Barnard, Shay Bluntzer, Joseph Burnell, Alan Frucht, Henry Gonzalez, Joe Lerma, Bill Mamalakis, Tricia Dietrich Petty, Shawnna Poor, Colton Shannon, Sandeep Sharma, Larry Thompson, and

Mark Trexler. From pipeline industry research and trade association representatives: Paul Amato and Ben Kochman, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America; Andrew Lu, American Gas Association; Thomas Marlow, Pipeline Research Council International; Mark Piazza, American Petroleum Institute; and John Stoody, Association of Oil Pipe Lines. From a pipeline valve supplier: Mike Manning, Emerson Automation Solutions.

Experts in risk assessment and impact modeling: Baruch Fischhoff, Carnegie Mellon University; Jeremy Fontenault and Deborah French-McCay, RPS Group; Mike LaMont, TRC Companies, Inc.; W. Kent Muhlbauer, WKM Consultancy, LLC; Curtis Parker, Dynamic Risk; Shane Siebenaler, Southwest Research Institute; and Mark Stephens, MJ Stephens Consulting. Pipeline safety analysis and advocacy: Lois Epstein, LNE Engineering and Policy, and Richard Kuprewicz, Accufacts Inc. In the field of decision science: Lisa Robinson, Harvard University.

The committee also extends its thanks to James Eager, Pipeline Safety Trust, for the geospatial analysis he conducted to examine demographic characteristics at transmission pipeline incident sites (Chapter 4).

Micah D. Himmel directed the study from its beginning to October 2023. He assisted the study committee in the preparation of this report with the assistance of Brittany Bishop. Thomas R. Menzies, Jr., provided study guidance and oversight and managed the final stages of report development. Timothy B. Marflak provided administrative and logistical support. Karen Febey, Senior Report Review Officer, managed the report review process.

Contents

PREFACE

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

SUMMARY

1 INTRODUCTION

Study Origin and Charge

Study Approach

Report Organization

2 BACKGROUND ON TRANSMISSION PIPELINES AND SHUTOFF VALVES

U.S. Pipeline System Scope and Use Characteristics

Pipelines in High Consequence Areas

Pipeline Shutoff Valves

Prevalence of Rupture Mitigation Valves in High Consequence Areas

Summary Points

3 PIPELINE SAFETY REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Federal and State Regulation

Integrity Management Program Requirements

Guidance and Training on Integrity Management Enforcement and Compliance

Valve Installation and Rupture Detection Rule

Summary Points

4 SAFETY REVIEW

Potential Consequences of a Gas or Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Release

Incident History Overview

Summary Points

Addendum: A Lens on Equity in Decision Making

5 RUPTURE MITIGATION VALVE COST AND DECISION CRITERIA FOR EXISTING PIPELINES

Cost Factors and Cost Ranges for Rupture Mitigation Valve Installations

Rupture Mitigation Valve Assessments in Integrity Management Requirements

Summary Points

6 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Synopsis of Study Approach

Summary of Key Points from Chapters

Conclusions

Recommendations

Concluding Observations

APPENDIXES

A DISSENTING VIEW OF GARY D. KENNEY

B TIMELINE OF RELEVANT STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS

C INDUSTRY SURVEY

D STUDY COMMITTEE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Preface

Section 119 of the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020 directs the Secretary of Transportation to enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) to do the following:

The statute further states that the study should take the following into consideration:

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) docket number 2013-0255,¹ as cited in the statute, contains rulemaking proceedings that were active when the PIPES Act was enacted. The rulemaking proposed requirements for the installation of automatic and remote-control shutoff valves on newly constructed and entirely replaced segments of pipelines in accordance with a mandate by Congress in 2011 legislation. In April 2022 the rulemaking culminated in a final rule establishing the requirement.

PHMSA and the National Academies negotiated a task statement for the study consistent with the language in the act. It is provided in Chapter 1 of this report. While an award for the study was executed in August 2021, work was delayed while waiting for the final rule to be issued as needed to inform the study and allow PHMSA officials to comment in briefings.

To conduct the study, the National Academies appointed a committee of 10 members with expertise in pipeline design and operations, risk analysis and management, accident investigation, economics, public policy, and regulatory design and enforcement. This report represents the efforts of these 10 individuals, who served uncompensated in the public interest, to produce a consensus report. Their biographical information is provided in Appendix D.

The committee members convened multiple times during 2022 and 2023 to gather information and deliberate over and prepare this report. Its public information-gathering sessions included meetings with PHMSA officials to discuss the study charge, its origins and background, and the key elements of the new rule applicable to newly constructed and entirely replaced segments of hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipelines. The committee also met with representatives of pipeline industry research and trade associations and individual pipeline companies, experts in risk analysis, pipeline safety analysts and advocates, state pipeline safety regulators and regulators from abroad, and officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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¹ Pipeline Safety: Amendments to Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 192 and 195 to Require Valve Installation and Minimum Rupture Detection Standards.

The study committee visited San Antonio, Texas, to meet with researchers from the Southwest Research Institute, which has studied automatic and remote-control valves, and with a hazardous liquid pipeline company to learn more about its processes for deciding when to install these valves and for a tour of its control room and terminal facilities. The committee was also briefed by experts in pipeline valve design and operations, decision science and benefit-cost analysis, and pipeline release impacts and dispersal modeling.

The study committee wishes to thank the many individuals who participated in these information-gathering sessions and who are identified in the Acknowledgments section of this report.

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Acronyms and Abbreviations