The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is required by law to respond to safety recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating transportation incidents. Recommendations usually address a specific issue uncovered during an investigation or study and specify how to correct the situation.
Open Recommendations
The NTSB classifications for open recommendations:
OAA - Open Acceptable Action
OAAR - Open Acceptable Alternate Response
OUA - Open Unacceptable Response
ORR - Open Response Received
OAR - Open Await Response
IRR - Initial Response Received
Mode
A - Air
H - Highway
P - Pipeline
R - Rail
Currently Open Recommendations
| Recommendation Number | Description | Issue Date |
|---|---|---|
| H-04-023 | Nurse Tank Inspections; OUA | July 1, 2004 |
| R-07-004 | Immediate Notification to Emergency Responders; OAA | April 24, 2007 |
| A-08-001 | Lithium Batteries; OAA | Jan 7, 2008 |
| A-08-002 | Lithium Batteries; OAA | Jan 7, 2008 |
| H-11-005 | Cargo Tank Performance Standards; OAA | September 2, 2011 |
| H-11-006 | Cargo Tank Performance Standards; OAA | September 2, 2011 |
| P-11-009 | PG&E Rupture - Immediate 911 Notifications; OAA | Sep 26, 2011 |
| P-11-010 | PG&E Rupture - Equipping SCADA Systems; OAA | Sep 26, 2011 |
| P-11-011 | PG&E Rupture - Installing ACVs or RCVs; OAA | Sep 26, 2011 |
| P-11-014 | PG&E Rupture - Eliminating Grandfather Clause; OAA | Sep 26, 2011 |
| P-11-015 | PG&E Rupture - Post-Construction Hydrostatic Pressure Test; OAA | Sep 26, 2011 |
| P-12-003 | Enbridge - Engineering Assessment of Cracks; OAA | Jul 25, 2012 |
| P-12-004 | Revising the "discovery of condition"; OAA | Jul 25, 2012 |
| R-12-007 | Adoption of American Association of Railroads (AAR) center sill or draft sill attachment designs; OAA | March 2, 2012 |
| P-14-001 | Sissonville – Add Principal Roadways to HCA Requirements; OUA | March 5, 2014 |
| R-14-005 | Comprehensive Response Plan Threshold; OAA | January 23, 2014 |
| R-14-006 | Shipper Testing and Documentation for Hazmat Classification; OUA | January 23, 2014 |
| R-14-014 | Commodity Flow Data and Emergency Response Plan Development; OUA | August 22, 2014 |
| R-14-019 | Public Education for Communities along Railroad Hazmat Routes; OAAR | August 22, 2014 |
| R-15-016 | Milestone Schedule for Retrofit of DOT-111 and CPC-1232 Tank Cars; OUA | April 3, 2015 |
| P-15-004 | Increase positional accuracy of pipeline details in National Pipeline Mapping System; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-005 | Revise National Pipeline Mapping System to include high consequence area identification; OAAFebruary 10, 2015 | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-010 | Update guidance for gas transmission pipeline operators; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-011 | Develop and implement risk assessment training; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-012 | Evaluate safety benefits of risk assessment approaches; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-013 | Update guidance for gas transmission pipeline operators on risk assessment approaches; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-015 | Revise Form 7100.1; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-016 | Revise Form 7100.2; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-017 | Evaluate relationship between incident occurences; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-018 | Require all natural gas transmission pipelines be capable of inline inspection; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-020 | Identify all opeartional complications limiting use of in-line inspection tools; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-021 | Develop and implement plan for eliminating direct assessment; OUA | February 10, 2015 |
| P-15-022 | Develop and implement plan to improve data integration; OAA | February 10, 2015 |
| A-16-001 | Maximum Loading Densities for Lithium Batteries or Class 3 Flammable Liquids; OAA | February 09, 2016 |
| A-16-002 | Segregation of Lithium Batteries from Class 3 flammable liquids; OAA | February 09, 2016 |
| R-17-001 | Evaluate risks posed to train review re: separation distance; OAA | March 9, 2017 |
| R-17-002 | Withdraw regulatory interpretation for positioning placarded rail cars; OAA | March 9, 2017 |
| P-17-001 | Work with pipeline trade and standards organizations to modify pipeline dent acceptance; OAA | June 15, 2017 |
| P-17-002 | Require operators to either (a) repair all excavated dent defects or (b) install a local leak detection system; OUA | June 15, 2017 |
| R-17-005 | Study increased derailment risks; OAA | June 29, 2017 |
| R-17-006 | With FRA develop specific guidance for railroads; OAA | June 29, 2017 |
| H-18-003 | With FMCSA, develop and implement process to ensure cargo tank inspectors able to verify safety; IRR | January 30, 2018 |
| H-18-004 | With FMCSA incorporate by reference registered inspector training requirements for cargo tanks inspectors; IRR. | January 30, 2018 |
| H-18-005 | With FMCSA permit suspension or revocation of registration of highway cargo tank inspectors; IRR. | January 30, 2018 |
| P-18-001 | Work with state pipeline regulators to incorporate into their inspection programs, a review to ensure that gas distribution pipeline operators are using best practices recommended by the manufacturer in their distribution integrity management programs, including using the specified tools and methods, to correctly install PermaLock mechanical tapping tee assemblies; OAA | June 25, 2018 |
| R-18-027 | Sponsor research to study and publish the difference in characteristics between denatured and undenatured ethanol; IRR | November 27, 2018 |
| R-19-001 | Promulgate a final standard for pressure tank cars used to transport poison inhalation hazard/toxic inhalation hazard materials; IRR | February 14, 2019 |
| R-19-002 | Prohibit the use of those tank cars transporting poison inhalation hazard/toxic inhalation hazard materials that are constructed of nonnormalized steels and not constructed of steels meeting the highest available fracture toughness specifications; IRR | February 14, 2019 |
| R-19-003 | Issue maintenance guidance to owners of US Department of Transportation Specification 105 pressure tank cars transporting poison inhalation hazard/toxic inhalation hazard hazardous materials with risk factors to: (1) establish structural integrity inspection frequency, (2) provide guidance for defining critical flaw size and repair and acceptance criteria for indications in fracture sensitive locations, and (3) provide guidance for selecting nondestructive testing methods to identify cracks with a sufficient probability of detection; IRR | February 14, 2019 |
| P-19-001 | Require that all new service regulators be installed outside occupied structures; OAR | June 10, 2019 |
| P-19-002 | Require existing interior service regulators be relocated outside occupied structures whenever the gas service line, meter, or regulator is replaced. In addition, multifamily structures should be prioritized over single-family dwellings; OAR | June 10, 2019 |
Updated: Tuesday, July 9, 2019