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New Natural Gas Pipeline Excavation Laws
Explosions caused by natural gas leaks are rare considering the 1.9 million miles of natural gas distribution pipeline in the United States. When they do happen they are often caused by damage from construction companies excavating a site for new construction or to repair existing construction.In 2006 Congress passed legislation called the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006. The purpose of the legislation is to prevent excavation damage to natural gas pipelines through the enhanced us and improved enforcement of state One Call laws. One Call laws require excavators to contact the state One Call system prior to excavating to locate the underground pipe. The excavators are also required to report any damage or escape of gas caused by their digging.The law provides funding and direction for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s pipeline safety oversight programs and new funding to strengthen excavation damage prevention programs.The Department of Transportation is responsible for enforcing the laws. Civil penalties are assessed. These civil penalties are not only assessed against excavation companies violating the One Call laws but also to any pipeline operator who does not respond to a request for information on a location or does not mark the pipeline location properly.The new legislation also provides state grants for improvements to the damage prevention programs and for development of new technologies for prevention of excavation damage.Studies show that natural gas pipelines have been the safest mode of transportation in the United States. The natural gas pipeline companies spend a large amount of their budgets making sure the pipelines run safely. They are constantly doing research and development to improve their infrastructure to increase the safety and reliability of their infrastructure. The new legislation also mandates the installation of excess flow valves on new service lines or on lines that have been entirely replaced that serve single-family homes.Between 1986 and 2004 the number of accidents reported decreased by 28 per cent. Over 650,000 miles of pipeline were added during this period and the gas moving through the pipelines increased by 33 per cent. Companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corporation are focused on increasing the domestic supply of natural gas to support the increased demand.Natural gas provides 25% of the energy used in the U.S. The White House, Pentagon and Capitol building all use natural gas for heating. Natural gas has been delivered via pipeline for over a century in the U.S. The cost of the new regulations to natural gas pipeline companies is significant. First year implementation were estimated to be approximately $0.036 per thousand cubic feet. The increased safety provided by this legislation far outweighs the additional expense incurred. Accidents are far more costly to natural gas pipeline companies than the additional expense of the requirements of the new law.

Who Regulates Natural Gas And The Effects Of Regulation On Prices
Each state has a public utility commission that regulates natural gas utilities. Surprising as it may seem the natural gas utilities aren’t allowed to make any money from the natural gas itself. A natural gas or electric utility bill typically has three main charges: natural gas or electricity used, service fee and delivery charges. The service fee and delivery charges are based on the amount of natural gas or electricity used.The state utility commissions not only oversee the rates utilities charge but issues related to construction and maintenance of adequate supplies for customers. There are three federal agencies that regulate the natural gas industry as well. They are the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Securities Exhange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. These agencies are the federal overseers of the industry that help ensure that the natural gas markets are not being manipulated.The fluctuations in the price of natural gas are more related to supply and demand issues than to the individual utility companies increasing their profits. When natural gas prices increase, most people become more frugal in their usage. The natural gas utility actually makes less in this instance because they only make profits on the service fees and delivery charges. When consumers use less natural gas the utility is forced make less in service fees and delivery charges which are based on the volume used.Many state public utility commissions are exploring the decoupling of rates from amounts used for utilities. Today, with the rates charged tied to the amount used the utility companies have less incentive to be concerned about energy efficiency. Alternative approaches are being discussed to more closely align utility revenue with energy efficiency.The actual price of natural gas is mainly influenced by supply and demand as in most free markets. Today, in the United States, demand is growing in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors. It is a very efficient fuel source that is much friendlier to the environment than oil.The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issues winter price forecasts once a month during the winter. These estimates are based on a couple factors. First, an estimate of what the average price over the winter will be. Next, a prediction of the weather is made. How cold is it expected to be this winter? Will it be colder or warmer than last year? A percentage increase or decrease is derived from this.

Natural Gas And The Oracle Of Delphi
Most people have heard the term - the Oracle of Delphi. In ancient times Delphi was thought to be the center of the world. To the Greeks it was the place where heaven and earth met. It was the center of worship for the Greek God Apollo who was the son of Zeus.People would go to the Oracle of Delphi, who was a priestess of the time, to get advice on personal concerns or concerns of the state and to have their questions about the future answered. The Oracle or priestess was thought to dispense advice which came right from God, to have divine or as we think of it today psychic powers.The temple of the Oracle of Delphi was built on top of Mount Parnassus. The temple was founded when a goat herder came upon a flame rising out of a fissure in a rock. The Greeks thought the flame had a divine origin and built the temple on top of it. The prophecies of the priestess were said to be inspired by the divine nature of the flame. Also, vapors arising out of the fissure were thought to produce intoxication that helped loosen the lips of the oracles.These myths and prophecies grew around the flame and Delphi is still a favorite tourist attraction in Greece. A recent study of the area below the temple at Delphi show that two faults intersect there and also found evidence that hallucinogenic gases were rising from a spring nearby and were preserved within the rock of the temple. When faults intersect the rock around them are more permeable and water and natural gases can rise out of the rock easier.The gases in the spring water near the temple were analyzed and it was found that one of the gases was ethylene which has a sweet smell and produces a narcotic effect if inhaled. The Oracle of Delphi was said to go into a trance like state when she would pronounce her prophecies. She would be in a small, enclosed room in the basement of the temple. It’s possible that there was enough ethylene to produce this trance like state.Companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corporation drill natural gas which then travels through pipelines to a processing plant that extracts the ethylene.Ethylene is a flammable gas extracted from natural gas and petroleum. Ethylene is extracted using fractional distillation followed by steam cracking followed by liquefaction of the gas and then further fractional. Polyethylene is produced from ethylene. Polyethylene is the world’s most widely used plastic.

Pipelines Are The Nation’s Energy Lifeline
There is a 200,000-mile petroleum pipeline network constantly working to supply us with the products that make our nation tick. America’s economy depends on these pipelines to run efficiently, safely and to be reliable. Every day this network delivers us the energy we need to survive. It brings us the gasoline to run our machinery and transportation vehicles, heating oil to make our homes and work places comfortable, and jet fuel to fly both people and products to places all over enabling manufacturing and production to happen in a timely fashion. The primary means of moving crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel and other petroleum products to consumer markets are these pipelines. Because most of them are buried underground, and largely unseen, they are safe from harm. They move crude oil from oil fields on land and offshore to refineries where the oil is turned into other fuel products. From the refineries, the oil and fuel products go to terminals where they are trucked to retail outlets. Americans use more than 20 million barrels of oil products each and every day. Pipelines operate constantly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep the essential fuel flowing through this network to consumers.Safely, cost effectively, and efficiently, this pipeline network delivers us with a commodity that is fundamental to the American way of life. Transported through the pipelines is the energy to fuel our cars, trucks, busses, airplanes, and ships-the vehicles that keep us going. Also through the pipeline network, crude oil is delivered to refineries that convert it into essential material for the core industries producing plastics, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture-the major products necessary to maintain the life style as we know it.Realizing how important the pipeline network in America is, the petroleum pipeline industry’s safety record remains strong and is constantly improving. Operators are doing a better job steadily of protecting pipelines from corrosion, damage by third parties, weather or natural disasters, and any other harmful circumstances. Government agencies that regulate the pipeline industry include the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (part of the U.S. Department of Transportation), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.Regulations have forced a recording of the distribution of energy products through the pipeline network. The specific product is measured at the receipt point in the pipeline and again upon delivery to document the amount of product moved from one point to another. The amount charged to the customer depends on the product, the amount transported, and the distance between the receipt and delivery points. This process is similar to how you ship a package from one place to another. First, a carrier is chosen; the pick up and delivery point are confirmed; the weight is accounted for; and a pre-established fee is paid for the service. Like shipping packages, transporting different batches of petroleum can encounter unexpected delivery changes. However, unlike the package tracking, tracking and measuring pipeline volumes can be real challenges. Companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corporation accept these challenges as a part of doing business within the energy sector providing such an important commodity.