Recent new pipeline construction inspections by PHMSA have identified issues regarding procedures and inspection of pipeline coating, welding, and general pipeline construction practices. Many of the issues required immediate response from operators to avoid impacting long term pipeline integrity before the pipeline was put into service. PHMSA is leading a workshop cosponsored by the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the Canadian National Energy Board (NEB), on new pipeline construction in established rights-of-way to allow stakeholders of the pipeline safety community to learn about and discuss these construction issues and current practices used to resolve issues and ensure pipeline safety.
Due to time constraints, this workshop will focus solely on natural gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines being constructed on established rights-of-way and will not include discussion on property rights, permitting or siting issues. The workshop will include:
- Quality Control and Inspection,
- Welding,
- Coating,
- Materials, and
- Best practices for pipeline construction.
The workshop will be held at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, 1300 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102, on April 23, 2009. Name badge pick-up and on-site registration will be available starting at 7:30 a.m. with the workshop taking place from 8 a.m. until approximately 5 p.m. Hotel reservations under the "U.S. DOT Pipeline Construction" room block for the nights of April 22-23 can be made at 1-817-535-6664. A daily rate of $149.00 is available. The meeting room will be posted at the hotel on the day of the workshop.
To help assure that adequate space is provided, all attendees are encouraged to register for the workshop at https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/Mtg58.mtg. For further information, contact: Elizabeth Komiskey at (202) 288-1818, or by e-mail at elizabeth.komiskey@dot.gov.