Pipeline Safety: Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas (Gas Transmission Pipelines)

Summary: This document corrects the effective date of a final rule published in the Federal Register on December 15, 2003 (68 FR 69778). That rule requires operators to develop integrity management programs for gas transmission pipelines located where a leak or rupture could do the most harm, i.e., could impact high consequence areas (HCAs). The rule requires gas transmission pipeline operators to perform ongoing assessments of pipeline integrity, to improve data collection, integration and analysis, to repair and remediate the pipeline as necessary, and to implement preventive and mitigative actions. The published effective date was in error. This document corrects the effective date from January 14, 2004, to February 14, 2004, to meet the 60 day requirement for Congressional review of major rules. (5 U.S.C. 801(a)(4).)