Federal authority and IUC jurisdiction
Pipeline safety laws fall under federal authority in Title 49, United States Code, chapter 601, Safety.
Title 49 creates the framework for promoting safety of interstate pipeline facilities under federal authority. States are delegated all or part of the responsibility for intrastate pipeline facilities through an annual certification or agreement.
The law empowers the IUC to obtain certification from the federal government to regulate gas pipeline safety for intrastate natural gas operators.
IUC's Safety and Engineering staff enforce pipeline safety rules at 49 CFR parts 191, 192, 193, and 199, and state regulations at 199 Iowa Administrative Code chapter 10, Intrastate Gas and Underground Gas Storage and chapter 19, Service Supplied by Gas Utilities.
IUC Safety & Engineering staff inspect:
- 57 natural gas distribution system operators
- 3 LPG distribution system operators
- 41 intrastate pipeline operators
- 5 interstate natural gas transmission pipeline operators
Inspections ensure that gas operators are in compliance with federal and state pipeline safety standards. The IUC works closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's State Programs (PHMSA) to ensure pipelines are safely operated and maintained.
Transportation of natural gas
The safest way to transport natural gas is through pipelines. As long as natural gas flows through a closed controlled system, it remains a safe product. If the gas escapes from a pipeline, it has the potential to be a hazard to life, property, and the environment.
Many factors contribute to pipeline failures. Federal data indicates that "outside force" damage is the largest single specified cause of all pipeline accidents. Outside force damage generally occurs when someone is digging or excavating near the pipeline.
Other causes of pipeline accidents and incidents are categorized and include:
- construction errors
- material defects
- pipeline corrosion, both internal and external
- operator error (incorrect operation by operator personnel)
- malfunction of control systems or relief equipment
Contacting Iowa One Call
To avoid a potential pipeline accident caused by excavation and to comply with Iowa's One Call law, a homeowner or excavator must go online to IowaOneCall.com or call 811 or 800-292-8989 to schedule underground utility lines to be located and marked. This will create a ticket for the location to be visited.
The request should be made at least two days before starting any digging or excavating project, excluding Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays. Iowa One Call is a free service.
Iowa One Call manages:
- underground location service
- damage prevention
- One Call complaints
- violation enforcement by the Office of the Attorney General
After you contact Iowa One Call, the following will happen:
- Operators with underground facilities in the area where the excavation is planned will be notified. This includes natural gas and power utilities, communications companies, and cities and towns.
- Within 48 hours after being contacted, utilities will either mark their underground facilities with color-coded paint marks or flags, or tell the excavator they have no lines in the area.
Review Iowa Code chapter 480, Underground Facilities Information for more information, or visit the Iowa One Call webpage to learn about damage prevention and the law.
Additional information about One Call Complaints and enforcement is available through the Attorney General's Office.
IUC One Call Law and Damage Prevention survey
IUC Safety and Engineering conducted a Process Assessment and Learning Aid Survey in fall 2021 regarding Iowa's One Call law. The survey was sent to excavators, operators, contractors, and other stakeholders as part of the IUC 2020 Damage Prevention Program and included 32 questions in seven areas.
More than 240 responses were received. The survey results helped the IUC gain a better understanding of the reasons for noncompliance with Iowa's One Call law, which protects underground utility infrastructure, and the survey provided educational resources to excavators, contractors, locators, and stakeholders regarding Iowa's One Call process.
View survey results: Iowa's One Call Process Assessment and Learning Aid
Searching for inspection reports
Inspection reports and utility responses are on file in the IUC's electronic filing system (EFS). Inspection reports and responses are filed in each company's natural gas reports (RG) docket.
To search for these documents:
- click the EFS link
- select Search from the top navigation menu
- scroll down to Docket Search.
- when the docket search screen opens, select RG - Reports, Natural Gas from the Docket Type drop-down box
- select the company name from the Participants drop-down box
- click the Add button to add the company to the search parameters
After entering the search terms:
- click the Search button to display the company's RG-Docket Summary Page
- click on the Documents in EFS link to display the list of documents on file for that company.
Searching for incident reports
Incident (or accident) reports are on file in EFS and are filed in each company's accidents and outages (H) docket. To search for an incident report:
- click the EFS link
- select Search from the top navigation menu
- scroll down to Docket Search
- open a docket search screen and Select H - Accident -- Outages from the Docket Type drop-down box
- select the company name from the Participants drop down box
- click the Add button to add the company to the search parameters
To narrow the search to natural gas service incidents only:
- click Gas in the Industry Type box
- enter the search terms
- click the Search button to display the company's H-Docket Summary Page.
- click on the Documents in EFS link to display the list of documents on file in that company's H-Docket
IUC-PHMSA TQ Pipeline Safety Conference
The IUC hosted the TQ Pipeline Safety Conference in 2022. Click on the links below to review the conference materials and download presentations.
IUC 2022 Iowa Pipeline Safety Update
PHMSA - Excavation Damage Prevention - Deploying Effective Enforcement
PHMSA - Investigation of Failures
IUC - Most Common Probable Violations in Iowa
PHMSA - 2019 Transmission Pipeline Rule
PHMSA - Incident Reporting
PHMSA - Odorization Issues
Additional presentations available upon request:
- Attorney General - Iowa One Call Law and Enforcement
- GTI Technology Insights
The next IUC-PHMSA TQ Pipeline Safety Conference will be in 2025.
Additional resources
PHMSA Safety Performance Listings by State
Iowa One Call
Common Ground Iowa
Call 811 (National)
Pipeline and informed Planned Alliance (PIPA)
National Pipeline Mapping System
Natural Gas Operators Map
Pipeline Map - Iowa - March 1999
Emergency contact information for railroads and public utilities
Utility Safety Tips
Contacts
Pipeline Safety Program
Sanel Lisinovic
Safety and Engineering Section
Iowa Utilities Commission
iuc@iuc.iowa.gov
Media Inquiries
Don Tormey
Communications Director
Iowa Utilities Commission
515-725-7347
don.tormey@iuc.iowa.gov