Pipeline Integrity Management Plan

The safe, environmentally responsible operation of our pipelines has always been our priority. The integrity of a pipeline system reflects on the reputation of the operator as a reliable transporter of energy who can be depended upon by customers to deliver these products on time and in a safe manner. And, importantly, managing the integrity of the pipeline system to prevent leaks is what our host communities expect from us as a responsible neighbor.

Vector Pipeline supplements its comprehensive maintenance procedures with an integrity management plan, which describes how some parts of our pipeline have a greater potential for affecting public areas—where people live, work or play—or environmentally sensitive areas in the unlikely event of a leak.

Vector Pipeline works with federal and state regulators and local emergency responders to ensure that these integrity management plans, pipeline testing and preventive measures are appropriate for the conditions along the route segment. 

We manage the integrity of our natural gas systems by identifying, assessing and mitigating the risk of a natural gas release, particularly as it relates to design, construction, operation and structural integrity. To supplement our normal maintenance practices, we have developed an Integrity Assessment and Risk Management Plan for our natural gas systems. This plan evaluates the probability of a failure on a pipeline system and the consequences of such a failure. Components of this integrated plan include:

• Risk assessment.
• Integrity assessment.
• Risk mitigation.
• Performance measures.
• Management of change.
• Communications.
• Quality control.

Gas Transportation Integrity Assessment and Risk Management Plan 

The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration's Office of Pipeline Safety provides transmission pipeline operators with specific guidelines on integrity management plans. In some states, regulators have expanded on these federal requirements to govern practices on intrastate pipelines in their jurisdiction. For more details on the federal regulation and to locate pipelines in your area, go to ops.dot.gov or write the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Room 7128, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

Integrity Management Contact Information

For general information on our integrity management plans, write to us at Community Affairs, Enbridge Energy Company, Inc., 1100 Louisiana, Suite 3300, Houston, Texas 77002-5217 or email media@enbridge.com.

For more detailed, technical information about our integrity management plans, call (715) 394-1512.