On April 13, 2001, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the award of a five-year, $5 million contract to Research Planning, Inc. (RPI) of Columbia, S.C., to complete the identification and mapping of unusually sensitive areas (USAs). RPI will finish gathering drinking water and ecological data from state agencies and other sources in order to map USAs. The maps will be made available through the Research and Special Programs Administration's (RSPA) Office of Pipeline Safety web site at http://www.npms.rspa.dot.gov/default.htm.

The USA identification and mapping will assist operators in complying with the Department's hazardous liquid pipeline integrity management requirements. Under these rules, which are effective May 29, 2001, pipeline operators must assess, repair, and make other improvements to their hazardous liquid pipelines that could affect unusually sensitive or populated areas.

Editor's note: USA mapping may not be completed by the end of this year. However, each operator of more than 500 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines must still complete their identification of pipeline segments which are in or could affect High Consequence Areas (including USAs) by December 31, 2001. OPS has indicated that operators should just use the USA data as it is available. But operators will be expected to ensure that all populated areas and navigable waters are properly identified in their plans by the December 31, 2001 deadline.