Rules & Regulations Prescribing Standards for Gas Utilities, Master
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815-RICR-20-00-1 TITLE 815 – DIVISION OF PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS CHAPTER 20 – NATURAL GAS AND JURISDICTIONAL PROPANE SUBCHAPTER 00 - N/A PART 1 – Standards for Gas Utilities, Master Meter Systems and Jurisdictional Propane Systems 1.1 Incorporated Materials A. These regulations hereby adopt and incorporate 49 C.F.R. Parts 40 (2018) and 49, 49 C.F.R. Parts 190-199 (2018) by reference, not including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein are not inconsistent with this Part. B. These regulations hereby adopt and incorporate the following National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publications by reference, not including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein are not inconsistent with this Part: 1. NFPA 54 National Fuel & Gas Code (2018), 2. NFPA 58 Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gases (2017), 3. NFPA 59 Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gases at Utility Gas Plants (2018), and 4. NFPA 59A Production Storage and Handling of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) (2016). C. These regulations hereby adopt and incorporate the following American Gas Association (AGA) publications by reference, not including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein are not inconsistent with this Part: 1. AGA Manual for the Determination of Supercompressibility Factors for Natural Gas, Project NX-19 (A.G.A. Catalog No. L00340) (1962), and 2. AGA Compressibility and Supercompressibility for Natural Gas and Other Hydrocarbon Gases, Transmission Measurement Committee Report No. 8 (1992). D. These regulations hereby adopt and incorporate American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards ANSI B109 (1986) and ANSI B40.1 (1986) by reference, not including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein are not inconsistent with this Part. E. These regulations hereby adopt and incorporate the following parts of the American National Standards Institute/American Petroleum Institute (ANSI/API) 2530, Orifice Metering of Natural Gas and Other Related Hydrocarbon, AGA Report No. 3, by reference, not including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein are not inconsistent with this Part: 1. Part I, "General Equations and Uncertainty Guidelines," (AGA Catalog No. XQ9017) (1990), 2. Part II, "Specification and Installation Requirements," (AGA Catalog No. XQ9104) (1991), 3. Part III, "Natural Gas Applications," (AGA Catalog No. XQ9210) (1992), 4. Part IV, "Background Development, Implementation Procedures, and Sub- Routine Documentation for Empirical 33 Flange-Tapped Discharged Coefficient Equation," (AGA Catalog No. XQ9211) (1992). F. These regulations hereby adopt and incorporate specific American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards listed below by reference, not including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein are not inconsistent with this Part. 1. ANSI B109.1, Diaphragm Type - Gas Displacement Meters, Under 500 Cubic Feet per Hour Capacity, (AGA Catalog No. X69218) (1992), 2 ANSI B109.2, Diaphragm Type - Gas Displacement Meters, 500 Cubic Feet per Hour Capacity and Over, (AGA Catalog No. X69219) (1992), and 3. ANSI B109.3, "Gas Displacement Meters, Rotary Type," (AGA Catalog No. X69220) (1992). G. These regulations hereby adopt and incorporate the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) publications by reference, not including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions therein are not inconsistent with this Part: 1. ASTM specification D-1826 "Calorific Value of Gases in Natural Gas Range by Continuous Recording Calorimeter," (D1826-88) (1988), 2. ASTM specification D-1945 "Method for Analysis of Natural Gas by Gas Chromatography," (D1945-91) (1991), and 3. ASTM specification D-3588 "Method for Calculating Calorific Value and Specific Gravity (Relative Density of Gaseous Fuels)," (D3588-91) (1991). 1.2 Application of Rules and Regulations A. This Part shall apply to all LDC’s, Master Meter Systems, and Jurisdictional Propane Systems engaged in the business of manufacturing, distributing, selling or transmitting natural or other gas by pipeline in the State of Rhode Island; currently, there is one LDC, 40 Master Meter Systems, and 20 Jurisdictional Propane Systems in operation within the State of Rhode Island, all of whom are subject to all or specified portions of these rules. B. These Rules and Regulations replace the following existing Division rules and regulations: 1. Rules & Regulations Prescribing Standards for Gas Utilities, effective date June 8, 1966, 2. Regulations Regarding Gas Pipeline Safety Enforcement Procedures Docket No. D-86-4, effective date March 13, 1986, 3. Control of Drug Use in Natural Gas and Liquified Natural Gas, effective date May 10, 1990, and 4. the Rules and Regulations Prescribing Standards for Gas Line Abandonment & Leakage Survey Procedures Docket No. D-86-2, effective date May 21, 1986. 5. These four existing compilations of rules and regulations of the Division are hereby rescinded upon the effective date of this document. C. This Part is intended to supplement, and shall be interpreted in a fashion consistent with, the Federal rules set out in the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) incorporated above in § 1.1(A) of this Part, specifically in 49 C.F.R Parts 40 and 190-199. The Federal safety standards and regulations for the transportation of natural and other gas by pipeline, established pursuant to the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968, as amended (49 U.S.C. § 1671, et seq.) by the United States Department of Transportation and contained in 49 C.F.R. Parts 40 and 190-199, are incorporated by reference above. Since the State of Rhode Island is bound to comply with Federal law concerning gas utilities, and has been delegated enforcement authority by the Federal government, amendments to the Federal rules are incorporated by reference and shall be effective as part of these rules without further action. LDC’s shall comply with all of the rules set out herein. D. This Part shall be amended or repealed, and applications therefore shall be made, in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 39-3-33 and 42-35-1, and Part 00- 00-1 of this Title (Division of Public Utilities and Carriers Rules of Practice and Procedure). A written application may be made to the Division for temporary or permanent exemption from any provision of this Part for good cause shown. E. “Master Meter Systems” and “Jurisdictional Propane Systems” are only required to comply with the safety requirements of 49 C.F.R. Parts 191-192 Pipeline Safety Regulations, incorporated above in § 1.1(A) of this Part, NFPA 58 Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gases, and NFPA 59 Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gases at Utility Gas Plants, incorporated above in § 1.1(B) of this Part, the § 1.12 of this Part relating to Enforcement Procedures section contained herein, and § 1.14 of this Part, the Natural Gas Telephonic Notice Reporting Requirements. 1.3 Definitions A. The definitions set out in 49 C.F.R. §§ 190.3, 191.3, and 192.3 are incorporated by reference above in § 1.1(A) of this Part, except as augmented or modified below. Unless the context otherwise requires, the following words as used herein shall have the following meanings: 1. “Abandoned” means that the service line is physically disconnected (cut- off) at the main, or at the distribution line that is the source of supply if the pipe is not a main, and the pipe is made from material other than plastic or cathodically-protected steel. If the service line is plastic or cathodically- protected steel, it may be cut off at or in close proximity to a property line and made into a stub. When the service line is abandoned, the LDC shall remove the meter and assembly. Should access to these not be readily available, the LDC shall make multiple attempts to gain access for removal. The end of the operator's pipe that is within the customer's building must be cut off below ground and sealed outside the building or must be sealed by inserting a device within the service line to a point that is outside the building wall or foundation. Provisions must be made so that the seal or device cannot be readily removed. When the end of the operator's pipe is located above ground outside the building, the aboveground segment must be removed and the remaining segment below ground sealed. In any case, the pipeline's above or below ground entry point into the building or foundation must be sealed after the pipe has been removed. The pipeline shall be purged and sealed in accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 192.727(b). 2. “Accessory” means any meter reading device, which is mechanically or non-mechanically attached to a meter and could affect its accuracy, used to display, record, or transmit meter information to a remote location or any associated meter correction device, either remote or attached, used to adjust the reading of a meter index. 3. “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers. 4. “AMR” means an automated meter-reading device. 5. “British Thermal Unit" or "BTU” means a unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at one atmosphere pressure; equivalent to 251.997 calories. 6. “Commission” means the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission. 7. “Cubic foot” a. The term cubic foot means the volume of gas which occupies one (1) cubic foot of space at a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit and an absolute pressure of 14.73 pounds per square inch (known as standard conditions) with deviation there from, for varying pressure and temperature being in accordance with Boyle’s Law and Charles’ Law.