Federal Interest in Pipeline Safety

In 2003, the United States Department of Transportation issued grants to three major entities, engaged in safety oriented pipeline improvement projects. This was an over $500K increase from the previous years investments, totaling at $5.8 million. The Department of Transportation is dedicated to the safety and efficiency of our nations pipeline transport system, and saw an investment in pipeline safety research for both public and private sectors very important. This effort was intended to strengthen our citizens' confidence in the safety and security of the pipeline industry. In fact, the previous year, the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act was issued for the similar purpose of insuring safe pipeline operations in the future through the cultivation of new innovative technologies.
This Act and the 2003 grants followed a previous set of awards the Dept. of Transportation, DOT, issued to enhance pipeline controls, operations, and monitoring solutions. These previous grants included a $627,000 pipeline related funding project and three other broad agency announcements for pipeline research and development, resulting in approximately $2.8 million awarded to 13 different research endeavors. The private pipeline industry then matched those awards by providing $3 million for future research and development.
The RSPA branch of the DOT issued awards for its third BAA in September of 2003 for projects focus on improving pipeline materials and prolonging the lifetime of previously installed pipeline systems. This covered a large variety of components and materials that might be enhanced. The awards in 2003 included the Battelle Corporation of Columbus, OH, to estimate the value of current pipeline construction, the CC Technologies of Cublin, OH, to create guidelines for pipeline operators, and the FINO AG of Hildesheim, Germany, to improve the current pipeline inspection system for "pigless," small diameter pipelines. These are extremely brief and summarized descriptions of these awarded research and development projects, but they lend a general idea of federal interests in the safety and efficiency of our national pipeline network.
The Federal Department of Transportation RSPA is responsible for the safety of our pipeline system, controlling the transport of hazardous fuels to consumers and industrial locations around the country. It is in the interest of private companies such as Western Pipeline Corporation, and in the interest of the public to have rapid response for pipeline emergencies, advanced training for pipeline professionals, and the best in applied technologies and sciences to increase the efficiency and safety of the pipeline transportation system.

About the Author: Bob Jent is the CEO of Western Pipeline Corporation. Western Pipeline Corp is a successful, private independent producer of oil and natural gas.