Pipelines integrity

Corrosion is a leading cause of storage tank and piping failures. These systems often carry and store products including dry gas, wet gas, crude oil with entrained/emulsified water, and processed liquids.

Corrosion-related costs for monitoring, replacing, and maintaining gathering and transmission pipelines are estimated at $7 billion annually in the U.S., with an additional $5 billion for gas distribution—based on earlier studies conducted by NACE International (now AMPP), including the 2016 IMPACT study and the 2002 report “Corrosion Costs and Preventive Strategies in the United States.”

Both above and underground storage tanks are subject to the EPA’s Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) (now AMPP) Rule, and the EPA’s Energy Policy Act of 2005 contains specific corrosion provisions for underground storage tanks. The U.S. EPA requires protective coating and cathodic protection to all buried piping installed or replaced after August 2002, while the U.S. Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) regulates oil and gas pipelines, including minimum federal safety standards, regulations for transmission of liquids, and maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) for oil and gas pipeline systems.

NACE SP0169 and NACE SP0502 are incorporated by reference in 49 CFR. These standards are provided free of charge (downloadable) by AMPP to those who must comply with the regulations. NACE SP0169-2013, plus SP0285-2011, TM0101-2012, TM0497-2012, and RP0193-2001, are also incorporated by reference in New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Part 613 of Title 6 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York (NYCRR), and are provided free of charge to those who must comply with them.