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Annual Texas Gas Association Meeting - June 2010

Well folks, it's about that time of the year when members of the Texas Gas Association will be meeting for the annual meeting. This year, the annual TGA meeting will be held in Corpus Christi, TX from June 14 - 18, 2010. Lots of topics will be discussed, ranging from the state of the economy, natural gas vehicles, pipeline safety, amongst much more topics. These types of meetings represent a great way for all companies, service providers, and individuals to meet and network with people who all share the same enthusiasm for providing the energy that this nation needs in order to function.

Be sure to stop at the GDS Associates, Inc table to discuss your plans for DIMP with us. With over 15 years of experience in the energy industry and having prepared DIMP plans previously, we can definitely assist you and your gas distribution operations with electronic pipeline mapping and also with the preparation of a DIMP program. We have the experience that it takes to ensure your DIMP program meets and exceeds all of the requirements in the Federal rule 49 CFR 192.

See you in Corpus!

-Nick

Federal DIMP has been released.

Ok, so all the hype for DIMP is justified. DIMP's here. It's here to stay.

Now before you start grinding your teeth over yet another Federal regulation, just remember that it's for the safety of your O&M personnel, for the public, and for yourself. Remember, even one injury is one too many.

Now that Christmas is fast approaching, and since many of you will be taking vacation to enjoy time with your friends and family, I will delay the start of my series of discussing each segment of the new DIMP rules until the beginning of 2010. Definitely bookmark this blog and check back frequently for updates and discussion topics.

For those of you who would like a copy of the Federal DIMP rules, you can find it on the Federal Register's website, or simply email me and I'll send it to you.

Happy Holidays.

-Nick

We see you approaching, DIMP. It's been a long journey.

Straight from the American Gas Association, "AGA has been informed that the Office of Management and Budget has released the DIMP and CRM final rules. Congress will swear in Ms. Cynthia Quarterman as the PHMSA Administrator on Monday and we expect her to sign both regulations next week. We expect the final rules to be published in the Federal Register by Thanksgiving."

Well folks, DIMP is here...or almost. Since the Holidays will soon be thrust upon us, I would assume that most, if not all, of the gas distribution companies won't pay too close attention to the new DIMP rules until at least January/February 2010. That's ok. I'll spend the rest of the year attending web conferences and scrutinizing the entire DIMP so that compliance for you guys will be made easy. That's my job.

Happy reading.

-Nick

TGA Distribution Roundtable - October 1-2, 2009 - San Antonio, TX

So another TGA Distribution Roundtable in San Antonio has come and gone! Great discussions and networking indeed. I hope all of you made it home safely.

In regards to the upcoming Federal DIMP rules and regulations, I will be starting a series of blogs in the near future that will analyze and discuss the various aspects of the new Federal Distribution Integrity Management rules, so be sure to check back here beginning in the first week of November 2009 for a weekly breakdown and analysis of various DIMP issues.

Comments are definitely welcome!!!

If you would like a copy of the PowerPoint presentation that was presented at the TGA Distribution Roundtable, please email me at nick.sybille@gdsassociates.com.

-Nick

COMING SOON TO AN LDC – DIMP!!

Heads Up Everyone!!! The U.S. DOT Regulations for DIMP are fast approaching. Per an email that was issued by the American Gas Association recently, “AGA recently received an update from PHMSA on the final Distribution Integrity Management (DIMP) rule. PHMA met with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on September 3 to review the DIMP final rule. The OMB raised routine questions regarding cost-benefit analysis. Since there were no technical concerns and minimal negative comments in the docket, PHMSA expects little resistance to OMB approval. The final rule will be published to the federal register within a week of receiving OMB approval. The OMB may approve the rule by the end of October, so the final rule may be published to the final register at the beginning of November. The final rule amendment on couplings will be an information request notice on what information is useful to collect on coupling failures. PHMSA and state regulators will hold internal meetings on DIMP implementation in December. AGA will hold workshops and audio conferences after the final rule is published to help members review the final language and plan for implementation.”

With that said, it’s time to start making mental notes of data that will be useful in ‘knowing your system’ regarding system integrity. Data such as pipe installation dates, materials, operating pressures, cathodic protection readings, leak survey frequencies, leak grading, leak histories, etc will all be pertinent to developing an effective DIMP plan that will be in compliance with the U.S. DOT’s rules and regulations. While the specifics have not yet been released, industry experts are predicting these new sets of rules to be quite substantial to the gas distribution industry.

Remember to bookmark this webpage and check back frequently for updates on DIMP standards. Here at GDS Associates, Inc, we’re here to help your LDC comply with the DOT integrity management rules and regulations.

-Nick

GIS Pipeline Mapping - Part II

So let me begin by saying how important GIS pipeline mapping is for your gas distribution system. I cannot stress this enough! For those of you who don't know what GIS is, it's basically Geographic Information Systems. It may surprise you that many industries such as banking, real estate, city and state government, and major oil companies all employ the use of such GIS technology. For those of you who have a gas distribution facility on the Gulf Coast, have you ever needed to provide emergency responders with a map of your distribution system? How about during a major pipe leak anywhere in the U.S. Surely a quick means to provide police, fire fighters, and EMS with a map of the gas leak location would have saved time and reduced stress. This can all be accomplished with GIS pipeline mapping.

I'll show you how.

Suppose that a banking institution wanted to find the optimal placement of ATM machines around a certain metroplex, say Miami, FL. Sure, the bank employees could generate a spreadsheet with zip codes, population, median income, age, etc, but such a spreadsheet of that caliber may be extremely hard to visualize and it definitely would not be condusive to obtaining useful information. However, with a GIS approach, the bank would initially gather a 'county' layer which shows all of the counties in the Miami, FL metropolitan area. Let's call that Layer 1. On top of Layer 1, there would be a 'population density' layer, showing where the majority of people live in the various counties of Miami. Thirdly, a 'median income' layer would be placed on top of the 'population density' layer, and so on. You get the point, right. Now, after all of the layers have been populated and placed appropriately, wouldn't this be a much easier method to decide upon the optimum locations for ATM machine placement? I think so!!!

THIS IS WHY GIS IS SO NEAT!!!

Now, imagine using GIS for your gas distribution system. The first layer of the GIS map would be a county map layer. This map needs to show all of the counties which your gas distribution system is located. As a second layer, the pipeline distribution system would be drawn and placed over the first layer. This second layer needs to be an accurate representation of the gas distribution pipeline layout. Here at GDS Associates, we have the technology to ensure that all piping is representated on the layout drawing via GPS coordinates. From there, we can add in street names, subdivisions, etc for a third layer.

Now, here comes the really cool part. So let's say that you have a bunch of papers sitting around that detail pipe installation dates, leak histories, repair records, etc, and you need to find a way to get rid of the paper, but keep all of the data. GIS has the power to 'attributes' to any and all sections of you gas distribution system. This data can be scanned into a computer and assigned to any section or segment of gas distribution piping. This will allow you to point to any section or area of your gas distribution system and immediately pull up any information that you need. The amount of information that you can pull up will be dependent on how much information is intially scanned into the GIS system. Obviously, the more data you have, the better.

Finally, I'm sure all of you are aware of the new distribution integrity management (DIMP) rules that are being released by the U.S. Department of Transportation in September 2009. If you're not aware of these MANDATORY rules, we need to talk NOW! With that said, GIS mapping will play in integral role in compliance with these DIMP rules and regulations. One of the major items in the upcoming DIMP rules is that each gas distribution operator will need to 'know your system.' GIS pipeline mapping is a great way to learn more about your system and ultimately 'know your system' inside and out.

Furthemore, in keeping up with technology, all state agencies in the U.S. will require the electronic submittal of documentation sometime in the near future. With GIS mapping, this will be an easy feat.

If you would like more information on GIS mapping software, please visit ESRI.

If you need to speak with me regarding GIS gas distribution mapping or DIMP, I can be reached at 512-541-3162.

-Nick