Natural Gas Pipeline Safety

The bill requires the public utilities commission's (commission) gas pipeline safety rules, on or before March 1, 2024, to address requirements for:

• The inspection of gas meters and service regulators no more often than at least every 36 months with intervals not to exceed 39 months and the recorded record documentation of each inspection; and
• The installation or reinstallation of service regulators so that any vents associated with the service regulators are at least 12 inches above ground level or 12 inches above any anticipated precipitation, whichever is higher and located in an area that is protected from external blockage .

The bill requires the commission to promulgate rules, on or before March 1, 2024, to establish a process for determining whether an owner or operator of a natural gas distribution system (owner or operator) or a customer is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of the portion of the service line, if installed on or after August 14, 1995, and before March 1, 2024, that extends from the gas meter to the customer's primary residential or commercial structure that is serviced with natural gas (customer-owned service line).

The bill also requires the commission to promulgate rules, on or before March 1, 2024, requiring an owner or operator that distributes gas to a customer-owned service line installed on or after March 1, 2024, to:

• Provide written notice to the customer, within 90 days after the installation of the customer-owned service line, informing the customer whether the owner or operator or the customer is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of the customer-owned service line; and
• Obtain a signed copy of the written notice from the customer.

An owner or operator that fails to obtain a signed copy of the written notice must repair and maintain the customer-owned service line for the lifetime of the customer-owned service line.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)