Most gas gathering lines aren't federally regulated

Most of the approximately 240,000 miles of gathering pipelines put in to collect natural gas are not federally regulated, reports Garance Burke of The Associated Press. Auditors for the Government Accountability Office say federal officials do not regulate most of those lines for leaks or corrosion. Auditors said officials with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration "need to step up oversight to make sure they are running safely." (AP photo)

Companies have installed hundreds of gathering pipelines during the natural gas boom, and auditors found that in some states, officials don't know where the pipelines are located. If there are fewer than 10 homes within 220 yards of a gathering line, they aren't inspected, and Burke reports that most residents in rural areas don't know the pipelines are not regulated by the federal government. There are about 200,000 miles of gathering lines in the U.S., but only about 24,000 miles are federally regulated, Burke reports.

The pipeline agency is considering collecting data on unregulated lines, but plans have met some resistance from the gas industry. A spokeswoman for the agency said officials are reviewing more than 100 public comments about gas-line proposals. The agency delegates some enforcement of pipeline safety rules to state-level agencies. State officials told government auditors that "construction quality, maintenance practices, unknown locations, and limited or no information on current pipeline integrity all posed safety risks for federally unregulated gathering pipelines." (Read more)