STANDARDS IMPACTED BY RESEARCH
Many regulators including PHMSA are incorporating consensus standards into the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The goal is to strengthen and streamline the code, be less prescriptive and allow for performance to drive how regulations are met. National consensus standards can carry the equivalent weight of law when incorporated by reference into the CFR. These standards are intended to ensure the safe design, construction, operation, maintenance and repair of pipelines. They constantly require new knowledge to be effective and are reviewed and upgraded by selected committees of engineers and other technical experts.
It is imperative that new knowledge revise consensus standards so they remain relevant to their purpose. The pipeline industry and PHMSA are partnering on research addressing standards to strengthen their scope and to expand their applicability. Significant time and resources are spent reaching consensus on research strategy at R&D forums and other stakeholder events. PHMSA believes successful R&D projects affecting standards must provide knowledge transfer to the standards-making process and for the identification and measurement of research benefits.
To ensure success with this research objective, PHMSA and the PSDOCC entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in 2006. The MOA is enhancing cooperation and coordination between “the Parties” to facilitate a more effective and efficient integration of pipeline safety research and development results into the development and revision of voluntary consensus technical standards. The systematic process described in the MOA is vital to ensure knowledge from pipeline safety research is transferred to end users.
Memorandum of Agreement between PSDOCC and PHMSA
Research which targets and can impact standards is not new. Research is currently underway by several pipeline funding organizations. But not all organizations funding related research are measuring its impact on standards.
Collaborative research through PHMSA’s program is being measured via the process described in the MOA.
Please visit these pages to find out how some investments are impacting standards.
PHMSA Pipeline Safety Research Consensus Standards Performance Page
http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/rd/performance_cs.htm
Table of Research Impacting Standards
http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/rd/performance_cs.htm?order=sdo#ipPrjs