Integrity Verification Program

CHA has been aiding gas utility companies in verifying the integrity of their natural gas pipelines for more than 12 years. Our services involve a comprehensive review of records to establish or adjust maximum allowable operating pressures (MAOP) for high-pressure pipelines while ensuring compliance with state and federal pipeline safety regulations. Our reporting system distinguishes pipelines with proper regulatory documentation to maintain historical MAOPs. It identifies pipeline segments lacking adequate record support for current MAOPs, facilitating internal and regulatory reviews. Our review process incorporates multiple independent checkpoints to ensure accuracy with an impartial quality assurance review before completion. The findings from this review can be integrated into the operator's integrity management program for applicable pipelines.

In 2011, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued an advisory bulletin ADB-11-01 highlighting the importance of reliable, traceable, verifiable, and complete records when establishing MAOP based on design, construction, inspection, testing, and related data. PHMSA further reinforced this guidance through a proposed rule in April 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 20722), mandating pipeline operators to review records for reliability, traceability, verifiability, and functional MAOP support.