Model Urban Pipeline
Initiative Panel Discussion
Mayor’s Council on Pipeline Safety
Lest History Repeat Itself – Pipeline Safety Initiatives
May 14-15, 2015
Philadelphia, PA
Karen Edelstein
Eastern Program Coordinator
FracTracker Alliance
edelstein@fractracker.org
• Shares maps, data, and analyses to
communicate environmental and public health
impacts of the oil and natural gas industry
• Staff in PA, NY, Ohio, California, West Virginia
• Launched in June 2010, 501(c)(3) status since
2012
What we value
• Data transparency and availability
o Gathering, preparing, displaying, hosting data
• Verified information shared publicly via
interactive maps
• Cultivation of partnerships
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Communities
Environmental organizations
Media
Government agencies
Academia
• Research
• Internships
Schools and hospitals
within ½-mile oil
train derailment
evacuation zone,
Buffalo, NY
Mapping wells, leases, and public lands
Mapping wetlands around pipelines
Accessing agency data
(e.g., soil survey)
Pipeline mapping to increase safety
In the events of pipeline-related accidents, mapping can help
to increase
• Public safety
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Risk modeling
Identification of high-risk areas
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In urban, suburban, and rural areas
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Air, earth, and water
• Personal safety
• Environmental safety
• Efficiency of emergency responders
• More precise mapping can lead to damage prevention,
and heightened safety for communities and responders
Models exist!
https://www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov/PublicViewer/
Chester County, PA
Pipeline Information Center (PIC)
A pilot project for FracTracker, in collaboration
with partners…pending funding
Berks
Lancaster
Bradford
Tioga
Allegheny
Washington
Addressing needs of multiple stakeholders
• Elected officials
• Regulatory bodies
• Agency staff
• Utilities
• Emergency responders
• General public
Following recommendations of the Pipelines and
Informed Planning Alliance (PIPA)
What could/should an ideal map of
pipelines include?
Pipelines (85,451 miles of them in PA, alone!)
• Gathering (Class 1) lines
o Not subject to Public Utility Commission (PUC) registration
o Accuracy unknown
• Transmission lines
o General routes publicly accessible on PHMSA website, +/~1000 ft accuracy
• Distribution lines
o Not well-mapped
o Need for shut-offs during emergencies
o Risks from excavation
Features important to maintenance and
emergency response
Basic content
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Population centers
Schools
Hospitals
Recreation facilities
Wetlands
Streams
Karst topography
Watershed boundaries
Soils
Demography
Protected lands and core
habitat
Underlying mining operations
Other industry infrastructure
Compressor stations
Pigging launch sites
Other features
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Planning areas /buffer zones
around pipelines
Pipeline easements
Abandoned pipelines
Multiple base maps
o Satellite imagery
o Road networks
Distance and area
measurement tools
Geolocated image input
Current pipeline problems
Smartphone apps for info
upload
Concerns about information security issues
Location information on pipelines is closely held
• By pipeline companies
• By utilities
Technical solutions exist…Keep security
high, but safety high, too
• Password protection access to mapping
system
• ArcGIS Server: built-in security
• Defined privileges and role types
determine level of information access
• $$ considerations
ArcGIS for Server
• Covers basics, user
accounts and
role/permission
assignments
• ESRI 60-minute
webinar
o http://training.esri.com/Cours
es/ts_ServerSecurity10_1/play
er.cfm
• Info video
o http://video.esri.com/watch/2
381/understanding-arcgis-forserver-security
Questions….?
Karen Edelstein
Eastern Program Coordinator
FracTracker Alliance
edelstein@fractracker.org