Effective January 6, 2020, the Railroad Commission of Texas (TRRC) has made changes to 16 TAC 8B Requirement for All Pipelines regarding the regulation of gathering lines, new construction requirements and numerous new entries into the Typical Penalties and Penalty calculation tables.
Operators of natural gas gathering pipelines located in Class 1 locations and hazardous liquids and carbon dioxide gathering pipelines located in a rural areas are to take actions to correct hazardous conditions that create risk to public safety. This includes following existing reporting requirements; conducting investigations into accidents, incidents, threats to public safety and operational safety complaints; taking corrective action to prevent recurrence; and to cooperate with the Commission and to provide reasonable access to facilities and records.
New construction notification rules have been amended and replace the previous rule for notification 30 days prior to commencement of construction of any installation totaling greater than on mile or more of pipe. Depending on the length and type of installation, new construction notification can now range from no notification, 30 days or 60 days. New construction commencement rules can be found in 16 TAC 8.115.
For a copy of 16 TAC 8B Requirement for All Pipelines, contact Jessica Foley.