Pipeline safety can be enhanced by following risk-informed land use planning practices for developing near transmission pipelines.
Abundant energy drives our Nation’s economy. Oil and natural gas provide energy for industrial processes, electricity generation, transportation, and residential use. Natural gas and hazardous liquid transmission pipelines play a crucial role by safely and efficiently delivering these energy products from sources of supply to markets.
Over several decades, a nationwide pipeline system has been constructed to transport natural gas and petroleum products. Many portions of these transmission pipelines were constructed in sparsely populated rural areas. Subsequent growth of communities has converted many of these once rural areas to urban areas, with housing developments, shopping centers, and business parks. This community growth spurs the construction of even more transmission pipelines to supply our growing energy needs.
The proximity of people to transmission pipelines poses significant safety challenges that are of concern to all stakeholders. Development and construction activities near transmission pipelines increases the risk of pipeline damage and pipeline incidents. Your risk of being affected by a transmission pipeline incident is influenced by a variety of factors.
Although the risk of being injured by a transmission pipeline incident is low, land development and construction in proximity to pipelines increases the likelihood of pipeline damage and serious incidents that could potentially involve injuries and fatalities. Care must be taken to protect people and the environment from the impacts of transmission pipeline incidents. One way is to increase stakeholder awareness and knowledge of pipelines. Being informed of the proximity and risks of transmission pipelines can help prevent unintended damage to the pipelines that can result from right-of-way (ROW) encroachment and nearby development activities.
To increase stakeholder awareness and knowledge about transmission pipelines and the potential consequences of pipeline incidents, and to help stakeholders recognize land use planning issues related to development and construction near pipelines, PHMSA initiated and supports the Pipelines and Informed Planning Alliance (PIPA). PIPA is a collaborative effort by land use planning and pipeline safety stakeholder representatives to identify and recommend practices related to risk-informed planning for development around transmission pipelines.