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Kevin Speicher

Program Manager
Safety@dps.ny.gov
Phone: 518-474-5453
FAX: 518-473-5625

3 Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12223

The Commission is responsible for developing and enforcing safety standards for natural gas, hazardous liquid, and steam distribution pipelines located within the state. New York State pipeline safety program also inspects the portions of interstate natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines located within New York State on behalf of the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) under an Interstate Agency Agreement with the USDOT. Although the NYS Department of Public Service (NYSDPS) conducts the inspections of interstate pipeline located within NYS, PHMSA sets the minimum safety standards and retains all enforcement authority with respect to interstate pipeline companies.

NYS Department of Public conducts audits and inspections of regulated pipeline companies to evaluate compliance with Federal and State Pipeline Safety Regulations. Regulated pipeline companies deliver energy services which include:

• Natural Gas (NG) which include:
  • Local Distribution Companies (LDCs),
  • Municipal Gas Systems,
  • Intrastate Transmission Companies,
  • Interstate Transmission Companies,
  • Intrastate Storage Companies,
  • Interstate Storage Companies, and
  • Gas Gathering Line Companies.
• Hydrogen Gas Transmission Line Companies
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Storage Companies
• Liquid (or Liquefied) Petroleum Gas (LPG)
• Hazardous Liquid Trunk (or Transmission) Line Companies, and
• Steam

NYS has:

• 11 Large NG LDCs,
• 6 smaller NG LDCs,
• 3 municipal NG LDCs,
• 15 intrastate NG Transmission Line companies,
• 11 interstate NG Transmission Line companies,
• 4 intrastate Hazardous Liquid (HL) Transmission Line Companies,
• 6 interstate HL Transmission Line Companies,
• 3 intrastate LNG facilities,
• 2 Hydrogen Gas Transmission Line Companies, and
• one large Steam LDC.

In total there are more than:

• 4,550 miles of NG transmission lines,
• 48,680 miles of NG distribution mains,
• 3,210,800 natural gas service lines, and
• 1,150 miles of HL trunk lines.

The Commission also has responsibility for developing and enforcing regulations for the protection of underground facilities known as Part 753 or Code Rule 53 and more commonly referred to as 811, Call Before You Dig, or Dig Safely. NYS has two One Call Notification Centers covering the state. Excavators may provide notice of intent to excavate by contacting the appropriate One Call Notification Center. Dig Safely NY (http://www.digsafelynewyork.com/, 811 or 800-962-7962) covers all counties except Bronx, Kings, New York, Kings, Richmond, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. New York 811 (http://newyork-811.com/ or 811) covers all of New York City (Bronx, Kings, New York, Kings, Richmond, and Queens counties) and Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties)


Pipeline Safety Regulations

	State Title 16 NYCRR	Federal 49 CFR
Incorporated By Reference	Part 10
Notice of Interruption of Service (Natural Gas)	Part 232
Transmission and Distribution of Gas	Part 255	Part 192
Inspection and Maintenance of Gas Holders*	Part 256
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Plants*	Part 257
Transportation of Liquid Petroleum (Hazardous Liquid Pipelines)	Part 258	Part 195
Liquefied Natural Gas	Part 259	Part 193
Piping Beyond the Meter (Natural Gas)	Part 261
Drug and Alcohol Testing	Part 262	Part 40 Part 199
Distribution of Steam	Part 420
Protection of Underground Facilities	Part 753	Part 196

* All jurisdictional facilities have been decommissioned. Regulations have not yet been repealed.

Historical Note: Part 260 contained regulations related to Synthetic Gas Plants (Manufactured Gas).

The siting of major pipelines used in intrastate commerce purposes in NYS is through an Article VII proceeding. Please see Article VII Major Electric and Gas Transmission Facilities for more information on this process. For pipelines, used for interstate commerce purposes, siting and routing is performed under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s jurisdiction. For more information about the Federal siting process, please visit FERC’s website: www.ferc.gov.

Within NYS, Gas Corporations are entities that own and operate gas plant (e.g. any facility to be used for the manufacture, conveying, transportation, distribution, sale or furnishing of gas (natural or manufactured or mixture of both) for light, heat or power). Pursuant to Public Service Law §68, no gas corporation shall begin construction of gas plant without first having obtained the permission and approval of the commission. The process of obtaining this permission is referred to as Section 68 Proceeding and leads to the granting of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN). Once granted, pipeline company may begin construction and operation within the limitations of the CPCN, which generally includes authority to construct pipelines not covered under the Article VII process.

Suresh Thomas
Utility Supervisor – Downstate

Jonathan Mercurio Field Supervisor – NYC & LI Office Counties: Manhattan, Kings, Queens, Richmond, Bronx, Nassau, Suffolk

Arpit Mehta Field Supervisor – Lower Hudson Office Counties: Orange, Rockland, Westchester

Michael Moll Field Supervisor – Albany Office Counties: Dutchess, Greene, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster

Brett Mahan
Utility Supervisor – Upstate

Michael Moll Field Supervisor – Albany Office Counties: Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Putnam, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Essex

Vacant Field Supervisor – Syracuse Office Counties: Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Franklin, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Otsego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Yates

Kristi Fogle Field Supervisor – Buffalo Office Counties: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming

Jeffrey Kline
Support Supervisor – Main Office
Rulemakings and Damage Prevention Enforcement

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