Pipeline Safety Trust Executive Director honored at the White House as a Champion of Change!

Carl Weimer, the Trust Executive Director, was recognized on Tuesday, Oct 13, 2015 at the White House as one of 11 individuals from across the country as "White House Transportation Champions of Change."

Comments at Annual Pipeline Safety Trust Conference 

November 19, 2015:  Marie Therese Dominguez, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) at the Annual Pipeline Safety Trust Conference . 

 "The ceremony honored individuals who are innovating in transportation and growing the American economy.  And this year Carl Weimer was one of the outstanding Americans recognized as a champion for change in transportation.  So Carl as you know is an innovative leader who's worked with community and industry groups to improve pipeline safety and successfully advocate for stronger pipeline safety regulations at the local, state and federal level.   So Carl, thank you very much for your leadership and again congratulations on receiving the White House champion for Change in Transportation Award."

November 20, 2015: Jonathan Peress, Environmental Defense Fund

"I very much want to express gratitude both to Rebecca, Carl and the Pipeline Safety Trust...For a small shop of three people, not only is their profile very large, but their impact is very large."

Carl Weimer, Executive  Director, Pipeline  Safety Trust, Ferndale, Washington. Mr. Carl Weimer is Executive Director of the national Pipeline  Safety Trust. Under his leadership, the Trust has worked with community and industry groups alike to improve pipeline safety, testified  to Congress more than 20 times, and successfully advocated for stronger pipeline safety regulations at the local, state and federal level. 

In your school considered to be in a High Consequence Area?  

Read: Another pipeline incident anniversary – have things changed since 2009?
http://smartpig.pstrust.org/another-pipeline-incident-anniversary-have-things-changed-since-2009/

On May 4, 2009, an 18-inch Florida Gas Transmission Company interstate pipeline ruptured about 6 miles south of Palm City, Florida, releasing about 36 million cubic feet of natural gas and causing three minor injuries in Martin County....

...There is a complicated way for gas pipeline operators to choose their method of designation and draw their boundaries (see 49 CFR §192.903). Put generally, any area near a pipeline with a high population (for gas pipelines, that means 20 or more homes), or with a populated activity center (e.g. school, office, assisted living, recreation area, campground, etc.; referred to as “designated sites” in the gas regulations), would be considered part of an HCA. Just how near to the gas pipeline these homes and activities need to be to trigger the HCA designation depends on how big the pipeline is, and the pressure inside it.

So what if a community is building a new school? Or what if a development goes in within a half-mile of an existing pipeline? In the case of a hazardous liquid (e.g. crude oil or petroleum) pipeline, nearby town water intakes or environmentally sensitive areas also trigger the HCA designation – what if a town changes their water intake or an agency recognizes a new critical habitat area? These types of changes and development happen all across the country, but only a very few communities have practices or rules in place that facilitate active dialogue between a pipeline operator and developer, or between an emergency management team and pipeline operator, to the degree that these types of changes are promptly reflected in a pipeline operator’s integrity management program.

In fact, PHMSA rules allow over 10 years – yes, TEN YEARS – from the time a natural gas pipeline operator identifies HCA changes to when that information must be part of a completed baseline assessment of the pipeline in the newly identified HCA...

READ MORE

'Pipelines blow up and people die'

After a series of deadly accidents, Congress created an office to oversee the nation’s oil and gas pipelines. A decade later, it’s become the can’t-do agency. By Elana Schor and Andrew Restuccia 4/21/15, http://www.politico.com/
Great graphics online. Read more and see more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/the-little-pipeline-agency-that-couldnt-117147.html#ixzz3XxMadzXw

A Lesson of the 1937 Texas School Disaster: Visualize the Danger. People with responsibility may not have the knowledge or care about precaution.

The official Court of Inquiry acknowledged a series of design, building and operations problems, and unheeded warnings, yet named no one responsible. They concluded that school officials were just "average individuals, ignorant or indifferent to the need for precautionary measures, where they cannot, in their lack of knowledge, visualize a danger or a hazard." (Court of Inquiry, 1937.)

DIG SAFE
Regardless of where you are, there may be pipelines and other utilities buried underground.  It is important to follow safe digging practices, whether you are a homeowner planting a tree or digging a fence post hole, or a professional excavator. Safe digging always starts with a prior call to 811 and someone will come out and mark underground utilities. Knowing what's below enables diggers to avoid underground utilities, and can prevent injury, death, environmental damage and loss of critical services. Learn more about staying safe around pipelines by visiting PHMSA's Pipeline Safety Update.

--  PHMSA has a new page of interest here, dealing with pictures of near misses from the field.