TRC chairman wants state standards for industry security program

Sam Fletcher
OGJ Online

HOUSTON, Jan. 11 -- State regulators should develop security standards defining the minimum requirement for the oil and gas industry in protecting facilities vulnerable to terrorist attack, said Michael Williams, chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, Friday in Houston.

As a member also of the state task force for the national Homeland Security program, Williams said he planned to recommend such a program within 2 weeks.

Detailed information of the resulting security programs should be maintained by the individual companies implementing those programs, but subject to inspection by regulators, said Williams at the annual luncheon of the Association of Texas Intrastate Natural Gas Pipelines.

He opposes a potential exemption to Texas's open records law, proposed by some state officials to prevent leaks of security information to would-be terrorists. Instead, Williams said industry should channel such information directly to Homeland Security officials at the federal level, where it would be protected by existing national security exemptions.

Within the state, Williams said, one regulatory agency should be the central authority for dealing with the "one-call" telephone program to locate and identify underground pipelines and cables prior to excavation with heavy equipment. He also called for penalties to be imposed if an individual or firm fails to place that call prior to extensive digging.

"Statistics show that 75% of incidents (damaging buried pipelines or cables) across the state are caused by somebody digging a swimming pool in his backyard, without calling," Williams said.

He also called on association members to "work with me" on a program to increase inspections or enhance cathode protection of buried pipelines "to improve an already strong safety program" to prevent pipeline leaks.

The Texas Railroad Commission regulates the Texas oil and gas industry.

Contact Sam Fletcher at [email protected]