2.1 Overview of the Proposed Project - Keystone XL pipeline - US ...

Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact StatementKeystone XL Projectmaterials to industry and consumers by all transportation modes, including the nation’s pipelines.Through PHMSA, USDOT develops and enforces regulations for the safe, reliable, andenvironmentally sound operation of the nation’s 2.3-million-mile pipeline transportation systemand the nearly 1 million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea, and air. WithinPHMSA, the Office of Pipeline Safety has the safety authority for the nation’s natural gas andhazardous liquid pipelines. The proposed Project is included in the latter category.Keystone would be required to construct, operate, maintain, inspect, and monitor the proposedProject consistent with the PHMSA requirements presented in 49 CFR 195 (Transportation ofHazardous Liquids by Pipeline), as well as relevant industry standards, and applicable statestandards. These regulations specify pipeline material and qualification standards, minimumdesign requirements, and required measures to protect the pipeline from internal, external, andatmospheric corrosion. The regulations are designed to prevent crude oil pipeline accidents andto ensure adequate protection for the public.Pipelines that carry gasoline, diesel fuel, crude oil, or other hazardous liquids must implementadditional safety measures if they cross a particularly sensitive area such as the source for amunicipal drinking water supply. Keystone would comply with a set of 57 Special Conditionsdeveloped by PHMSA for the proposed Project (see Appendix B, PHMSA 57 SpecialConditions). The Department, in consultation with PHMSA, has determined that incorporation ofthose conditions would result in a proposed Project that would have an improved degree ofsafety relative to typically constructed domestic oil pipelines and a degree of safety along theentire length of the pipeline system similar to that which is required in high consequence areas(HCAs) as defined in 49 CFR 195.450. These Special Conditions cover four general categoriesof project activities:• Material requirements;• Construction requirements;• Operations and maintenance; and• Reporting, records retention, and senior-level certification requirements.The regulations are designed to help prevent crude oil pipeline accidents and to ensure adequateprotection for the public. Section 2.1.7.1, Pipeline Design, presents the major pipeline designconsiderations of the proposed Project. Nearly all petroleum pipelines in the United States areburied, and Keystone has also proposed to bury the proposed Project pipeline. In addition, theSpecial Conditions provide more stringent requirements for many of these design factors. Incomparison to an aboveground pipeline, burying a pipeline reduces the potential for pipelinedamage due to vandalism, sabotage, and the effects of other outside forces, such as vehiclecollisions.Keystone prepared a draft CMRP that is included in Appendix G. That plan describes theconstruction methods and environmental protection measures that Keystone committed to inorder to reduce the potential construction impacts of the proposed Project. The CMRP includesspecific techniques or mitigation measures to address sensitive areas such as highly erodiblesoils, shallow groundwater, and other conditions. If the proposed Project is issued a PresidentialPermit, the CMRP would be updated after the Record of Decision is issued to reflect anyadditional conditions included in the Record of Decision and in other permits issued to Keystone,and to reflect regional construction considerations.Project Description 2.1-34 March 2013