Pipeline Safety Public Awareness Workshop

Follow this link on the day of the meeting to connect to the webcast: http://www.onlinevideoservice.com/clients/PHMSA/PublicAwarenessWorkshop/index.html

This two-day workshop will be conducted to bring pipeline safety public awareness stakeholders together to discuss results and/or observations from recent federal and state public awareness inspections, and gain perspectives from various stakeholders on public awareness challenges and successes to strengthen public awareness.

Presentations, observation notes, and feedback from webcast participants are available for download.

This workshop is open to all and there is no cost to attend. When registering online, please indicate the stakeholder group that you best identify with.

This two-day workshop will be conducted to bring together pipeline safety public awareness stakeholders to discuss findings from recent federal and state public awareness inspections, and gain perspectives from various stakeholders on public awareness challenges and successes to identify ways to strengthen pipeline safety public awareness. Presentations from this workshop will be made available on this website following the workshop.

BACKGROUND: To address pipeline safety public awareness requirements, in 2005 PHMSA incorporated by reference into its regulatory program under 49 CFR 192.616 and 49 CFR 195.440, the American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice (RP) 1162, "Public Awareness Programs for Pipeline Operators (1st edition)."

Under these regulatory requirements, pipeline operators must develop and implement public awareness programs consistent with requirements specified in the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act (PSIA) of 2002. Pipeline operators are required to conduct continuing public awareness programs to provide pipeline safety information to four stakeholder audiences: the affected public, emergency response officials, local public officials, and excavators.

In June 2010, PHMSA co-sponsored with the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR) a 1-day public awareness workshop in Houston, Texas. In that workshop, pipeline trade associations and pipeline operators shared lessons learned from implementing their public awareness programs based on federal pipeline safety regulations.

Those regulations require pipeline operators to periodically evaluate their public awareness programs for effectiveness and enhance their programs as necessary, in intervals of no more than four years apart. Over the past few years, PHMSA and some state regulators have inspected pipeline operator public awareness programs to assess regulatory compliance.

WORKSHOP GOALS: The primary goals of this workshop are to:

1. Provide an overview of the public awareness program and discuss recent inspection findings;
2. Understand what's working and not working with RP 1162 (1st edition) from various stakeholder perspectives (industry, pipeline operators, public, emergency response officials, local public officials, and excavators);
3. Share ways to improve public awareness outreach efforts; and
4. Discuss the path forward for improving public awareness

REGISTRANT NOTICE: You may register online now. Registrant badges will be available at 8:00 AM (CT) on June 19, 2013, the day of the workshop. Registrants should pick up their name badges at the registration desk. On-site participant registration will also be available on the day of the workshop.

...To connect to the webcast of the meeting, follow this link on the day of the meeting: http://www.onlinevideoservice.com/clients/PHMSA/PublicAwarenessWorkshop/index.html

For information on facilities or services for individuals with disabilities, or to request special assistance at the meeting, please contact Christie Murray at (202) 366-4996, or by email at christie.murray @ dot.gov, by June 7, 2013.

COMMENTS: Members of the public may also submit written comments either before or after the workshop. Comments should reference Docket ID PHMSA—2013—0094. For more information on submitting comments, see the Federal Register Notice,which may also be viewed or downloaded from this page.

The Federal Register Notice announcing this meeting may be viewed or downloaded from this page.

For more information, contact Christie Murray, Office of Pipeline Safety, Phone: (202) 366-4996, or Email: christie.murray @ dot.gov.