[T]he Vermont Department of Public Service needs to do a better job of record-keeping, according to an annual evaluation by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
“Improvements must be made,” according to federal regulators, in order for Vermont to keep its certification with the agency.
In an assessment of the state inspection program released last week, Zach Barrett, of the federal administration’s Office of Pipeline Safety, says the department must address deficiencies by the end of 2018.
Largely as a result of inadequate record-keeping, Vermont scored 88 out of a possible 107 points on its evaluation. Compliance actions and report documentation have not been filed in a timely fashion, according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
“Our review revealed most of the issues with the program revolve around the organizational skills of the primary inspector and his completion of the necessary program documentation in its entirety in a timely manner,” Barrett wrote.
The Department of Public Service has 60 days to explain how Vermont administrators will take corrective action.
Inspectors from PHMSA said that Vermont’s pipeline program does appear to issue penalties and to enforce compliance in many instances.
June Tierney, the commissioner of the Department of Public Service, said she’s “grateful” that the evaluation does not implicate safety concerns.
“There’s no question in my mind that the infrastructure in this state is safe,” she said. “The problem I see is that the documentation that makes that clear has not been fully completed.”
The deficiencies in the inspection program, she says, are unacceptable.
“I’m not happy about it at all,” Tierney said. “I don’t think it reflects well on the department’s administration of this particular program. I was not happy to discover this has been a longstanding problem.
“The inspection results tell me the administrative part of this program has not been performed as it should have been, full stop, and my job is to fix it at this point,” Tierney said.
PHMSA officials have conducted a weekling training of Vermont staff and more training is scheduled in 2018 in an effort to resolve the issue, Tierney said.
Officials from the agency noted, as an example, that Vermont’s DPS issued a $100,000 fine against Vermont Gas Systems for failing to notify the state in a timely fashion that construction costs for the pipeline had nearly doubled from $86.6 million to $153.6 million. In fact, the Public Service Board (which was this year renamed the Public Utility Commission) imposed the $95,000 fine after the Department of Public Service recommended only a $35,000 fine.
Beth Parent, the spokeswoman for Vermont Gas Systems, the largest gas pipeline operator in the state, responded to the evaluation by highlighting the emphasis the company places on safety.
“We are committed to maintaining high safety standards in everything we do, from constructing and maintaining our pipeline to servicing equipment for our customers,” Parent said in an email. “We look forward to continuing to work with our federal and state regulators to ensure the on-going safety and integrity of our system, and that all safety standards are met or exceeded.”
PHMSA spokesman Darius Kirkwood has repeatedly refused to respond to requests for an interview.
