API releases their Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emergency Response Tactical Guidance Document

Guidelines for Preparedness and Initial Response to a Pipeline Release of Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

This field operations guide is not an educational or decision-making tool. This guide contains a set of operational tools and references to assist in the response to a pipeline release of carbon dioxide (CO2).

The priorities for CO2 response are:

1. People: safety of response personnel and the public;
2. Environment: prevention of environmental, human health, and welfare effects;
3. Assets: minimizing damage to structures and equipment; and
4. Relations: keep customers, community, and federal, state, and local government agencies informed.

Responder safety and health should never be compromised for tactical considerations. Likewise, CO2 release response should be conducted to maximize safety around health impacts to responders, the public, and the surrounding areas of a release. For the purpose of this report, we are limiting the response effort to supercritical transmission pipelines.

Intended Audience

This guide is intended for pipeline operators and response operations personnel having basic knowledge in emergency response.

Current Applicable Federal Regulations

49 CFR 195, Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline

The document covers:

1. Transportation of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in Pipelines
2. Characteristics of CO2
   1. Physical Hazards
   2. Oxygen Displacement
   3. Exposure Limits
3. Emergency Preparedness and Planning
   1. Community/Stakeholder Outreach and Liaison
   2. Response Drills and Exercises
   3. Training
      1. Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER)
      2. Incident Command System (ICS) Training
4. Dispersion Modeling Best Practices
5. CO2 Pipeline Leak Detection and Identification
   1. Physical Identification
   2. Remote Identification
   3. Supplemental Identification Methods
6. Internal Notification Protocols
7. Reportable Release Thresholds
8. Public Safety Answering Point Notification of CO2 Pipeline Release
   1. Information to Provide to First Responders During Agency Notifications
9. Third-party Notification of a CO2 Pipeline Release
10. CO2 Pipeline Release Response Action
    1. Emergency Responder Safety
    2. Isolation Strategies
    3. Controlled Venting or Blowdown
    4. Forced Air Displacement
    5. Real Time Plume Predictions and Surveillance.
    6. Air Monitoring Strategie
    7. Incident Management

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