March 2016, Vol. 71, No. 3
Newsline
INGAA Board Reiterates Commitments, Supports Adoption Of Industry Standards
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) board of directors voted to reaffirm the organization’s commitment to underground natural gas storage integrity and accelerate implementation of industry storage standards in February.
In addition, the board voted to support the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration advancing federal regulation of natural gas storage, based on existing consensus standards.
“This vote advances the underground storage safety initiative undertaken by INGAA in 2011 by building on our efforts to promote industry standards for underground gas storage integrity and by supporting accelerated adoption of recommended storage practices,” said INGAA President and CEO, Don Santa.
INGAA was founded in 1944 and has since, in conjunction with its member companies, pursued a commitment to advancing gas transmission and storage safety and integrity. In 2011, INGAA formalized this commitment through the adoption of its Integrity Management Continuous Improved initiative (IMCI). The initiative is a comprehensive set of commitments and action plans intended to further the industry’s goal of achieving zero incidents.
Also in 2011, INGAA endorsed the development of industry-wide safety standards for underground natural gas storage, and has since been working with the American Gas Association, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), federal and state officials, and others to develop industry consensus safety standards aimed at ensuring the integrity of underground natural gas storage systems. In result of these efforts, the American Petroleum Institute issued two recommended practices – API RP 1170 and API RP 1171 – in September 2015. RP 1170 addresses the safe design and operation of solution-mined salt caverns used for natural gas storage, while RP 1171 involves the integrity of natural gas storage in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and aquifer reservoirs.
The board puts strong support behind adopting these consensus standards, even in advance of any federal regulation; the organization also stands behind the PHMSA circulating federal natural gas storage rules based on the recommended practices, Santa added.
There are currently no federal safety regulations for natural gas storage, despite the presence of approximately 400 underground storage facilities in the U.S.
To a Senate subcommittee in September 2015, Santa testified INGAA believed that PHMSA should undertake a rulemaking to adopt new regulations for underground natural gas storage and suggested the recommended practices would assist in facilitating more rapid adoption of such regulations.
202-216-5900, www.ingaa.org.
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