December 2006 Update

American Gas Association

• AGA news: Third Party Excavation Greatest Threat to Utility Pipelines.
• AGA Testimony on Pipeline Safety Act Reauthorization to Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, 11/15/06

American Public Gas Association

• October 13, 2006 - the American Public Gas Association made recommendations on pricing transparency in testimony before the Federal Energy Regulatory commission.

Association of Oil Pipe Lines

• Tim Felt, President and CEO, Explorer Pipeline testifies on behalf of AOPL and API before the Senate commerce, Science and Transportation committee, 11/16/06.

Energy Information Administration

• Short-term Energy Outlook (11/07/2006) Quarterly short-term energy projections for supply, demand, and price for the major fuels through 2007 for the US International oil forecasts are included.
• US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Growth Lower than Average in 2005, 11/14/06
• This Week in Petroleum
• Natural Gas Weekly

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

• Next Commission Meeting: 12/21/06. View Details.
• Commission adopts final rule on transmission siting Press Release Chairman's StatementOrder No. 689
• Commission grants market-based rates for gas storage for first time under criteria developed pursuant to EPAct Press Release Chairman's Statement Order No. 678-A Decision G-1

National Energy Board Canada

• Pipeline Services Survey Results - May 2006
• 2006-2007 Estimates - Part III - Report on Plans and Priorities

Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

• Advisor Bulletin AbB-06-03-Notice: Notice to Operators to natural Gas and hazardous Liquid Pipelines to Accurately Locate and Mark Underground Pipelines Before Construction-Related Excavation Activities commence Near the Pipelines.
• Anti-spill rules could hide danger: Oil and chemical companies could keep more secrets about the safety of pipelines and the hazardous materials they use under a proposal by state environmental officials.

In the news...

• Corrosion has become the leading cause of hazardous-liquid pipeline accidents, causing a quarter of all reported spills in the past six years, and the shutdown earlier this year of one of the nation's largest oil fields, a review by the Houston Chronicle and industry groups shows. Read more.
• WASHINGTON — A U.S. Senate committee approved legislation Thursday that calls for broader federal regulation of low-stress oil transmission pipelines, partly in reaction to leaks found on two such lines at Prudhoe Bay earlier this year. Read more.
• European Commission President Jose Barroso urged the split of energy companies into separate transmission and supply businesses to bolster competition in the European Union's electricity and natural-gas market. Read More.
• December 14, 2006 - NAESB Board of Directors Meeting - Scheduled for December 14, 2006 in Houston, TX at the Marriott Houston Intercontinental Hotel.

November 2006 Update

American Public Gas Association

• October Newsletter

Association of Oil Pipe Lines

• AOPL Supports House Energy and Commerce Bill the "Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2006"

Energy Information Administration

• U.S. Underground Natural Gas Storage Developments: 1998-2005
  (10/17/06). The report examines the current status of the underground natural gas storage sector in the United States.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

• Next commission meeting: 11/16/06. View Details.
• Final rule revises PURPA mandatory purchase obligation for electric utilities, as mandated by Energy Policy Act Press Release Chairman's Statement Order No. 688
• Commission finalizes rule on consolidated federal record for judicial review of gas infrastructure proposals Press Release Chairman's Statement Order No. 687
• Commission expands eligibility of blanket certificate activities for natural gas infrastructure projects Press Release Chairman's Statement Order No. 686
• Commission approves 11.2 percent return on equity for rates charged by Kern River Gas Transmission Press Release Chairman's Statement Opinion No. 486

Interstate Natural Gas Association of America

• GAO Releases Reports on Natural Gas Pipeline Safety: Supports INGAA Position on Modifying the Seven-Year Reassessment Requirement

National Energy Board Canada

• The Energy Futures Report will be released in October, 2007. In advance of this report the NEB is involved in a number of activities to gather information such as an energy speaker series and a cross-Canada tour to speak with energy experts.
• September issue of Regulatory Agenda.

National Transportation Safety Board

• Title: Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) in Liquid Pipelines
• NTSB Report Number: SS--05--02, adopted on 11/29/2005
• NTIS Report Number: PB2005-917005

Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

• Pipeline Safety: Notice of proposed Rule making: Application of Public Awareness Regulations to Certain Gas Distribution Operators pdf Version
• Notice of Proposed Rule making: Pipeline Safety: Protecting Unusually Sensitive Areas from Rural Onshore Hazardous Liquid Gathering Lines and Low-stress lines pdf Version
• PHMSA Summer 06 newsletter HERE
• National Pipeline Mapping System Updates: Checkplot Viewer – September 27, 2006 A new tool for reviewing checkplots online will be released in October 2006. The checkplot viewer is for operators to use in reviewing their pipeline and LNG data after it has been processes by National Repository staff. http://www.npms.rspa.dot.gov/