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South Dakota Pipeline Safety Program
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, through the Pipeline Safety Program, is responsible for regulating hazardous gas intrastate pipelines to ensure the public is provided safe and dependable gas service.
The Office of Pipeline Safety, within the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, has overall regulatory responsibility for hazardous liquid and gas pipelines under its jurisdiction in the United States. Through certification by OPS, the PUC regulates, inspects, and enforces intrastate gas pipeline safety requirements.
The PUC staff has pipeline safety authority to inspect and investigate intrastate natural gas pipeline operators, master meter operators, jurisdictional propane systems and liquefied natural gas facilities for compliance with statutes and administrative rules.
The program is funded through an inspection fee on the pipeline operators and by reimbursements from the federal pipeline safety program. The commission has rulemaking authority to calculate, assess and collect the fee on the pipeline operators.
The Pipeline Safety Program has jurisdiction over 287 miles of transmission and 4,736 miles of distribution pipelines that serve more than 200,591 South Dakota customers. The South Dakota operators subject to the program's jurisdiction include four natural gas distribution system operators, four municipal natural gas system operators and seven intrastate transmission pipeline operators.
Staff
Two staff engineers and a staff attorney carry out the primary duties of the Pipeline Safety Program. They receive assistance from the PUC's management, administrative and communications staff as needed.
Pipeline Operators
The PUC's safety jurisdiction covers intrastate gas transmission operators, municipal and investor-owned intrastate gas distribution operators, intrastate gas master meter operators and intrastate propane operators.
Inspections
Trained staff members from the PUC's Pipeline Safety Program conduct a number of inspections throughout the year to ensure pipelines are operating safely and adhering to federal and state laws and rules. Inspections involve physical testing and visual examinations of pipeline facilities as well as reviews of records maintained by the pipeline operator to verify scheduled maintenance is being performed and operator training and certification are current.
Forms
The PUC provides examples of forms used by its Pipeline Safety Program inspectors.
Assistance
The PUC provides training, shares advisory bulletins from PHMSA and offers helpful recommendations to operators.
SD PUC Pipeline Safety List Serv
Subscribe to this list to periodically receive information via e-mail from the South Dakota Pipeline Safety Program.
Pipeline Safety Webinars
The PUC periodically conducts webinars to discuss pipeline safety issues with stakeholders. View previously-recorded presentations.
Pipeline Informational Filings
The PUC posts non-docketed information regarding pipeline safety issues.
- PUC pipeline safety dockets
- Landowner's Guide to Pipelines
- South Dakota Statutes, Pipeline Safety, SDCL 49-34B
- South Dakota Administrative Rules, Pipeline Safety, ARSD 20:10:37
- South Dakota Administrative Rules, Assessment of Fees for Intrastate Gas Pipeline Operators ARSD 20:10:31
- South Dakota One Call
- South Dakota Significant Incidents and Mileage Overview, PHMSA
- National Pipeline Mapping System
- Code of Federal Regulations 49 Part 191, Transportation of Natural and Other Gas by Pipeline; Annual Reports, Incident Reports and Safety-Related Condition Reports
- CFR 49 Part 192, Transportation of Natural and Other Gas by Pipeline; Minimum Federal Safety Standards
- Common Ground Alliance (CGA)
- U.S. Dept. of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
- National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR)
