OMB Updates Pipeline Incident Reporting Instructions, Clarifies Intentional vs Unintentional Gas Releases
Summary
On January 19, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget approved changes to PHMSA Form F 7100.2 instructions for incident reporting by gas transmission, gas gathering, and underground natural gas storage facilities (OMB Control No. 2137-0635). PHMSA is clarifying that gas released by relief valves or emergency shutdown systems operating as intended by the manufacturer is classified as "intentional," not requiring an incident report. Incident reports remain mandatory for unintentional releases resulting in a loss of 3 million cubic feet or more. The change is designed to eliminate data on non-safety events and provide a more accurate representation of pipeline safety for both operators and regulators.
“PHMSA is updating the instructions to clarify that when gas is released by a relief valve or an emergency shutdown system operating as intended by the manufacturer, the release of gas is considered intentional.”
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GovPing monitors US PHMSA News for new transportation regulatory changes. Every update since tracking began is archived, classified, and available as free RSS or email alerts — 3 changes logged to date.
What changed
OMB approved changes to PHMSA Form F 7100.2 instructions for gas transmission, gas gathering, and underground natural gas storage incident reporting. The key change is a clarified distinction between intentional and unintentional gas releases: releases from relief valves or emergency shutdown systems operating as designed are now explicitly classified as intentional and do not require incident reports. Unintentional releases still trigger reporting requirements when the loss reaches 3 million cubic feet or more.
For gas pipeline operators, this clarification means relief valve activations and emergency shutdown system activations under normal operation no longer constitute reportable incidents, reducing administrative burden for routine safety events. Operators should update internal reporting protocols to reflect this classification and continue to report all unintentional releases meeting the 3 million cubic foot threshold.
Archived snapshot
Apr 23, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
In This Section
OMB Changes to Pipeline Incident Reporting Instructions for Gas Transmission, Gas Gathering, and Underground Natural Gas Storage Facilities
Thursday, February 5, 2026 On January 19, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved changes to the instructions for PHMSA Form F 7100.2, Incident Report—Gas Transmission, Gas Gathering, and Underground Natural Gas Storage Facilities (OMB Control No. 2137-0635). While there are no changes to the form itself, PHMSA has updated the instructions to clarify when gas releases are classified as “intentional” or “unintentional.”
Incident reports are required if an unintentional release results in a loss of 3 million cubic feet or more. PHMSA is updating the instructions to clarify that when gas is released by a relief valve or an emergency shutdown system operating as intended by the manufacturer, the release of gas is considered intentional. PHMSA does not intend to collect incident reports on events that are not associated with equipment failure or malfunctions as those events do not represent safety risks to the public. The elimination of this data will provide a more accurate representation of the safety of gas transmission pipelines, allowing both operators and regulators to better identify and address safety concerns.
The Federal Register Notice is in Docket PHMSA-2025-0021. The revised incident report instructions are available on the PHMSA website.
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