Category: Industry News

PHMSA Updates 20 Regulatory Notices

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on October 6, 2025. Posted in Blog, Industry News.

PHMSA Updates 20 Regulatory Notices On October 2nd, 2025, PHMSA published a series of updates to 20 of the regulatory notices published on July 1st. The updates include 3 regulations that have been withdrawn due to adverse comments, 1 that has a new effective date, and 16 with a confirmed effective date of January 1, 2026. During the ITS Regulation Navigation webinar on September 10th, ITS VP of Learning and Content, Chris Taylor, discussed the July 1st regulatory flurry with Erin Kurilla, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Operations at the American Public Gas Association....

5 Takeaways from Regulation Navigation on the PHMSA Regulatory Flurry

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on September 4, 2025. Posted in Blog, Industry News, Regulation Navigation.

5 Takeaways from Regulation Navigation on the PHMSA Regulatory Flurry PHMSA sent out a flurry of regulatory announcements on July 1st that included 28 related to pipeline safety in the Federal Register. During the latest Regulation Navigation webinar, Chris Taylor, ITS VP of Learning and Product, hosted Erin Kurilla, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Operations at the American Public Gas Association, to discuss the expected changes and their timelines. Erin works closely with public-owned natural gas utilities member systems to continuously improve the safety and reliability of...

Span of Control Best Practices in Your Pipeline OQ Program

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on July 25, 2025. Posted in Blog, Industry News, Regulation Navigation.

Span of Control Best Practices in Your Pipeline OQ Program The recent revisions to Span of Control in the ASME B31Q standard for the pipeline industry provide significant clarification on the role of a qualified observer for an unqualified worker. ITS has adapted the guidance from the B31Q standard, as well as related PHMSA regulations, into an interactive online course: Qualified Observer for Span of Control in the Enhanced series. This brief course, available to all ITS clients, will help supervisors and workers easily identify their roles and responsibilities on the job site and...

The Top 5 Takeaways from Regulation Navigation on Updates to B31Q

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on June 16, 2025. Posted in Blog, Industry News, Regulation Navigation.

ITS hosted a conversation with Amy Livingston, Training Manager at Kinder Morgan and a committee member with ASME B31Q, for the latest Regulation Navigation webinar. Livingston and Chris Taylor, the ITS VP of Learning and Product, discussed the importance of the ASME B31Q standard for the pipeline industry and the most recent updates released in 2025. The webinar included 5 key takeaways about the latest updates to ASME B31Q: 5 Takeaways Span of Control (SOC) guidance has been clarified regarding the role of a qualified observer who must be present for the entire...

PSMS Essentials with Laurie Knape of API

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on August 29, 2024. Posted in Blog, Industry News.

By: Ed Cyzewski ITS is looking forward to hosting current (and future) clients at the 2024 User Conference in Nashville, TN on October 16-17. Laurie Knape, Program Manager of Pipeline Safety Management Systems (PSMS) at API, is one of our featured panelists and breakout speakers who specializes in guiding operators through the adoption of a PSMS. Laurie kindly met with the ITS team ahead of the conference to share a preview of her presentations and discussions, which will be among several timely learning options offered at this year’s conference. We’re excited to have...

Webinar Recap | Warren Miller’s 5 Key Takeaways on the Future of the Pipeline Industry

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on May 16, 2024. Posted in Blog, Industry News, Regulation Navigation.

Warren Miller, the ITS Regulatory Compliance Specialist, shared lessons from his 50 years of experience in the oil and gas pipeline industry and provided guidance for the road ahead during his final Regulation Navigation webinar. Warren plans to retire in October. During the webinar, Warren gave a recap on the latest industry news, which you can view, along with the rest of the webinar, on our recording. At the conclusion of the webinar, Warren shared his five key takeaways, which are summarized below: Prioritize the training needs for each individual. Each individual is different with...

Compliance Solution for Pipeline OQ and Training

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on May 16, 2024. Posted in Blog, Industry News.

Training and Operator Qualification have never been more important in the pipeline industry with new regulations and workforce turnover. Yet, tracking and managing compliance programs is a massive task that can strain the resources of operators and contractors, who each have unique challenges. ITS develops our compliance products based on the needs and concerns of our clients. Here is an overview of a few of the most common challenges we hear about: GET ON THE SAME PAGE WITH COMPLIANCE Operators and contractors may have different requirements and specializations, but ITS has an extensive...

What to Look for in PHMSA’s Latest Final Rule Updates

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on May 16, 2024. Posted in Blog, Industry News.

Pipeline regulations have been revised as of April 29, 2024, when PHMSA published its Periodic Updates of Regulatory References to Technical Standards and Miscellaneous Amendments Final Rule. These updates to standards make a number of minor revisions and incorporate several documents into the regulations by reference. Before we examine the changes made in this latest final rule, here is a brief overview of what it means to be “incorporated by reference.” INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE (IBR) ON THE CFR The government’s Code of Federal Regulations frequently combines existing standards into...

4 Steps for a Superior Safety Culture

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on April 19, 2024. Posted in Blog, Industry News.

Implementing damage prevention programs is top of mind for many in the gas and oil pipeline industry. From the safety of employees to environmental concerns to anticipated regulation changes, our clients and contacts in the industry see plenty of upsides for being on the cutting edge of these programs. As part of this overall awareness of damage prevention programs, ITS recently partnered with the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) to develop a comprehensive Pipeline Safety Management System (PSMS) course available through the OnBoard LMS. Here are four observations on how to ensure the...

3 Steps for Safer Leak Detection and Repair

Written by Kaitlyn Dukes on March 27, 2024. Posted in Blog, Industry News.

The natural gas industry is focused on the latest Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) and the PHMSA GPAC meetingsdiscussing the finer details of what is expected to be required in a Final Rule. These meetings gather industry, government, and private sector interests to recommend regulatory language for PHMSA’s final rule. While nothing is settled yet, many operators are proactively planning for the increased scrutiny of their leak detection standards. Here are a few guidelines we’ve found most helpful in our discussions with Subject Matter Experts and gas...