PHMSA Announces Pipeline Risk Modeling Workshop

Today DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a meeting notice in the Federal Register (80 FR 38266-38267) for a risk modeling methodologies workshop to be held in Washington, DC on September 9^th, 2015. The longer than normal advance notice is due to the fact that PHMSA is also soliciting abstracts from potential presenters at the workshop on the topic of relevant engineering and technical modeling considerations related to advancing pipeline risk models, and risk modeling methodologies used in other non-pipeline applications.

PHMSA is not satisfied that current pipeline risk management models are adequate to the task of identifying ways to reduce risks. In this request for abstracts PHMSA is interested in engineering and technical modeling considerations including;

∙ Quantitative and semi-quantitative risk approaches;

∙ Interacting integrity threats;

∙ Applicability to evaluating preventive measures and mitigative measures;

∙ Availability of data to support identified risk modeling approach;

∙ Risk models;

∙ Approaches to pipeline facility risk;

∙ Investigative performance of the example potential approach;

∙ Adaptation of model approaches from non-pipeline systems; and

∙ Cost.

Authors will need to submit their abstracts vis the Federal eRulemaking Portal (www.Regulations.gov; Docket # PHMSA-2015-0139) and send an email to Kenneth Lee (Kenneth.lee@dot.gov) by July 15, 2015.

PHMSA is also soliciting public comments on the topic. Those comments may also be submitted to the above docket.