PHMSA - Hazardous Liquids

Hazardous Liquid Pipelines

The Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Act of 1979 authorized the Department of Transportation to regulate pipeline transportation of hazardous liquids, including crude oil, petroleum products, anhydrous ammonia and carbon dioxide.

PHMSA develops and enforces regulations for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of the nation's 2.6 million mile pipeline transportation system and the nearly 1 million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea, and air.

Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Chronology

October 2012: Held data workshop about integrity management to solicit input on meaningful performance measures.
July 2012: Held pipeline research and development forum to identify technical challenges and discuss solutions to improve the safe operation of pipelines.
May 2012: Issued advisory bulletin reminding pipeline operations of the requirements to preserve and verify records.
March 2012: PHMSA held workshops on pipeline leak detection and the use of automatic/remote controlled valves.
March 2012: Issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes new procedures to strengthen excavation damage prevention programs and increase penalties for violators.
March 2012: Awarded contract to the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on diluted bitumen.
January 2012: President Obama signed into law the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act.

	Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Chronology 2010-2012
	Click here for a more detailed timeline of PHMSA's actions related to Hazardous Liquid Pipelines

Want to learn more about the pipelines in your community?

The following links contain valuable information about pipelines, including definitions, state pipeline profiles, and tips for encouraging pipeline safety in your community.

	Pipeline Basics
	What are pipelines? Where are they? And why do we need them in the first place?

	State Pipeline Profiles: Choose your state!
	View maps of your state's pipeline network, read incident reports, and learn who regulates pipelines in your state

	Safe Digging
	Don't assume you know what's below. Protect yourself and those around you. Call 811 every time.

	Public Awareness Programs
	Federal pipeline safety regulations require pipeline operators to conduct continuing public awareness programs to provide pipeline safety information to four stakeholder audiences, including the affected public, emergency officials, local public officials and excavators.

	National Pipeline Mapping System: Public Viewer
	View National Pipeline Mapping System data, one county at a time

	Frequently Asked Questions
	Questions and answers about our nation's pipeline infrastructure

811 Public Service Announcement