Waivers

General Order (GO) 112-F is the “State of California Rules Governing Design, Construction, Testing, Operation, and Maintenance of Gas Gathering, Transmission, and Distribution Piping Systems." The rules build upon the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations, specifically, 49 CFR Parts 191, 192, 193, and 199.2. Section 101.3 of GO 112-F allows for a utility, in special circumstances, to submit an application to waive compliance with specific rules in accordance with Section 3(e) of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968.

Recent Waivers

(updated September 15, 2022)

Mar. 8, 2021: Resolution M-4850; Attachment A and Attachment B

This Resolution is issued to ratify the Executive Director’s action taken by letter dated January 11, 2021, granting Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) a three-month waiver, with conditions, of compliance with specific sections of 49 C.F.R. Parts 190 through 199, promulgated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), for certain SoCalGas gas pipeline facilities in its service territory due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific PHMSA regulations for which this waiver is applicable are identified in a table in the Executive Director’s January 11, 2021 letter, entitled “ATTACHMENT 1 (Revised).” The Executive Director’s January 11, 2021 letter modifies the interim approval granted in her previous letter dated October 8, 2020.

The effect of the waiver will be to allow SoCalGas a three-month extension, beginning January 11, 2021, to perform certain required inspection, maintenance and other compliance activities required by PHMSA regulations, where COVID-19 makes compliance impossible or where the risk to human health and safety due to COVID-19 outweighs the safety risk due to the compliance delay.

Sep. 10, 2020:  Resolution M-4845; Attachment A

This Resolution is issued to ratify the Executive Director’s letter dated May 18, 2020 with a minor adjustment of eliminating the clause “or until one month after the Shelter-In-Place is lifted”. The Executive Director’s letter authorized PG&E’s request for a six-month extension from current due dates to complete Leak Surveys and Atmospheric Corrosion Inspections where a “Can’t Get In” (CGI) situation exists, due to the current COVID-19 social distancing requirements.

Aug. 31, 2020: Resolution M-4844; Attachment A

This Resolution is issued to ratify the Executive Director’s action by letter dated June 30, 2020 granting interim approval to Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) for an approximately two-month extension (from June 2020 to August 21, 2020) to complete 49 CFR 192.465(a) Leak Surveys and Atmospheric Corrosion natural gas transmission line inspections where a “Can’t Get In” (CGI) situation exists.