2024 Pipeline Presentation Text Version
Slide 1
2024 Pipeline Safety Year in Review
A review of the Montana Public Service Commission Pipeline Safety Program and inspection history from 2024.
Sam Harworth
December 31, 2024
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Buried in Montana are thousands of miles of pipelines that move commodities from where they are produced to your home, business, or facility. The Montana Public Service Commission partners with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to regulate the intrastate natural gas pipelines in MT.
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Natural Gas production starts in Gathering systems like the one shown here. These pipelines vary in size and operating pressure and typically run from wells and production facilities into larger pipelines that eventually terminate when they enter Transmission lines.
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Natural Gas Transmission lines bring gas to communities, businesses, or other facilities. They operate at high pressures, and are typically routed to avoid areas with high population density. The regulatory responsibilities of a Transmission operator are different than those of a Local Distribution Company (LDC).
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At "City Gates" the gas changes ownership from the Transmission company to a LDC which brings the gas to your home or business. These pipelines are smaller and run at significantly lower pressure, and include service lines which bring the gas to the company owned meter. The customer takes ownership of the piping and gas at the outlet of the meter.
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The Montana PSC has the responsibility to ensure that these pipelines are operated safely. This is done through inspections that staff perform in the field and at Natural Gas company offices. We verify through observations that the proper materials are used in construction and that practices used in installation, operation, and maintenance meet the requirements of code. We also verify that all the operations and maintenance work done on the pipeline is properly documented.
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Staff at the PSC inspect 20 operators at 38 different operating units:
- 4 Gathering Operators,
- 4 Intrastate Transmission operators, and
- 12 Local Distribution Companies (LDC).
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There are 18 inspection types that inspectors use to determine compliance. Through our partnership with PHMSA, we use a day count system to document these inspections to ensure that all operators are inspected, and to document our work for Federal funding requirements.
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In 2024 Inspectors documented 40 probable violations (PV). Very few PV's are safety related, most are record keeping or procedural violations and are easily corrected. Operators have 60 days to correct PV's, and these do carry over to the next calendar year as seen here.
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Staff at the PSC use data as a method for "mining" how operator’s systems grow over time. These methods allow inspectors to track growth and monitor system integrity.
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Inspectors travel all across our state to monitor the gas infrastructure to make sure that operators are providing safe and reliable service.
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And when tragedies do happen. Staff from the PSC respond immediately to take part in the investigation of the failure.
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Natural Gas pipelines are a dangerous but integral part of our State. The staff at the PSC work hard to make sure that the gas "stays in the pipes" to keep you and your family safe, warm, and industrious.
We look forward to another great year in 2025!