PSC 135.723 Distribution systems: leakage surveys additions [49 CFR 192.723]. PSC 135.727 Abandonment or deactivation of facilities addition [49 CFR 192.727]. PSC 135.735 Compressor stations: storage of combustible materials addition [49 CFR 192.735]. PSC 135.741 Pressure limiting and regulating stations: telemetering or recording gauges addition [49 CFR 192.741]. PSC 135.747 Valve maintenance: distribution systems addition [49 CFR 192.747]. PSC 135.751 Prevention of accidental ignition addition [49 CFR 192.751]. Ch. PSC 135 HistoryHistory: Chapter PSC 135 as it was in effect on May 31, 1972 was repealed and a new chapter PSC 135 was created, Register, May, 1972, No. 197, effective 6-1-72. Chapter PSC 135 as it existed on October 31, 1999 was repealed and a new chapter PSC 135 was created, Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. PSC 135.011PSC 135.011 Character of construction, maintenance, and operation. All gas transmission, distribution, and utilization equipment and facilities shall be constructed, installed, operated, and maintained in a reasonably adequate and safe manner and as more specifically provided for in this chapter. PSC 135.011 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. PSC 135.012PSC 135.012 Facilities, inspection and repairs. All facilities shall be cleaned when necessary and inspected at such intervals as experience has shown to be necessary. Any facilities known to be defective so as to endanger life or property shall be promptly repaired, permanently disconnected, or isolated until repairs can be made. Construction, repairs, additions, and changes to gas transmission and distribution facilities shall be made by qualified persons only. PSC 135.012 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. PSC 135.013(1)(1) Every gas public utility and gas pipeline operator that operates gas transmission or distribution facilities in this state shall comply with this chapter. PSC 135.013(2)(2) Waiving rules. The provisions of this chapter may be modified or waived by the public service commission. They may be so modified or waived in particular cases wherever shown to be impracticable for special reasons or where the advantage of uniformity with existing construction is greater than the advantage of construction in compliance with the rules providing the existing construction is reasonably safe or if equivalent or safer construction is secured in other ways. PSC 135.013(3)(3) Temporary installations. It may sometimes be necessary to modify or waive certain of the provisions in this chapter in case of temporary installations or installations which are shortly to be dismantled or reconstructed. Such temporary construction may be used for a reasonable length of time provided it is under competent supervision while it or adjoining equipment is under pressure or if it is protected by suitable barriers or warning signs when accessible to any person, without fully complying with this chapter; but all such construction shall be made reasonably safe. PSC 135.013(4)(4) Emergency. In case of emergency or pending decision of the public service commission, the person responsible for the installation may decide as to modification or waiver of any rule or order, subject to review by the public service commission. PSC 135.013 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. PSC 135.014PSC 135.014 Protection of gas pipeline facilities. PSC 135.014(1)(1) A gas pipeline operator, upon receiving notice as provided in s. 66.0831 or 182.0175 (2m), Stats., of work which may affect its facilities used for serving the public shall: PSC 135.014(1)(a)(a) If the notice is of work covered by s. 66.0831, Stats., investigate and decide what action, if any, must reasonably be taken to protect or alter utility facilities in order to protect service to the public and to avoid unnecessary damage. The gas pipeline operator shall take such action as is reasonably necessary to protect, remove, alter, or reconstruct its facilities, and shall perform such work with reasonable dispatch taking into account the conditions to be met. Nothing in this paragraph shall affect any right which the gas pipeline operator may have to require advance payment or adequate assurance of payment of reasonable costs to the gas pipeline operator by the property owner or contractor. PSC 135.014(2)(2) The gas pipeline operator may, in order to protect its interests, require that the owner or contractor perform certain work upon that part of the service piping or wiring on or being removed from the property upon which the excavating, building, or wrecking operations are being performed. PSC 135.014(3)(3) This section is not intended to affect the responsibility of the contractor or owner, or the liability or legal rights of any party. PSC 135.014 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; corrections in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register February 2004, No. 578. PSC 135.015PSC 135.015 Interference with gas pipeline facilities. PSC 135.015(1)(1) A gas pipeline operator having any work upon, over, along, or under any public street, highway or private property near existing gas pipeline facilities shall give reasonable notice to another public utility or operator and shall exercise care when working in close proximity to such existing facilities. Sections 66.0831 and 182.0175, Stats., shall be observed where applicable. In all other cases such notice shall provide another public utility or operator with a reasonable opportunity to protect or alter its facilities and such work shall not proceed without an agreement concerning the location and nature of the proposed work. PSC 135.015(2)(2) Nothing in sub. (1) shall prevent a gas pipeline operator from proceeding as quickly as possible with any emergency construction work which might interfere with existing facilities. PSC 135.015 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; correction in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register February 2004, No. 578. PSC 135.016PSC 135.016 Leak survey reports. The federal department of transportation, office of pipeline safety, requires each operator of a distribution system or of a transmission system to submit an annual report for the preceding calendar year not later than March 15. The operators of such systems in this state shall submit a copy of these reports to the public service commission on or before the filing date as required by the federal regulations. In addition to this annual report and at the same time, the operators shall report the number of leaks which were found in customer-owned facilities by either a survey or complaint during the preceding calendar year. PSC 135.016 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. PSC 135.017PSC 135.017 Over-pressure protection. Over-pressure protection is required by 49 CFR 192.197 and shall apply to all installations in this state. PSC 135.017 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; CR 21-049: am. Register March 2022 No. 795, eff. 4-1-22. PSC 135.019PSC 135.019 Adoption of federal minimum pipeline safety standards by reference. PSC 135.019(1)(1) The federal department of transportation, office of pipeline safety, pipeline safety standards, as adopted through March 21, 2021, and incorporated in 49 CFR Parts 192, 193 and 199, including the appendices, are adopted as state pipeline safety standards and incorporated by reference into this chapter. PSC 135.019(2)(2) State additions to the federal pipeline safety standards are shown in subch. II. PSC 135.019(3)(3) Pursuant to s. 227.21, Stats., the attorney general and the legislative reference bureau have consented to the incorporation by reference of the provisions in 49 CFR Parts 192, 193 and 199, including the appendices. Copies are on file at the office of the public service commission, the secretary of state, and the legislative reference bureau. PSC 135.019(4)(4) All gas public utilities and gas pipeline operators shall file with the public service commission a copy of the manual of written procedures for conducting operations and maintenance activities and for emergency response required under 49 CFR 192.605(a). Each change in the manual shall be filed with the commission within 20 days after the change is made. PSC 135.019(5)(5) Prior to constructing gas pipelines, all gas public utilities and gas pipeline operators shall have on file with the public service commission a copy of the construction specifications or standards required under 49 CFR 192.303, welding procedures required under 49 CFR 192.225, and joining procedures required under 49 CFR 192.273. Each change in the specifications, standards, or procedures shall be filed with the public service commission within 20 days after the change is made. PSC 135.019 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; CR 03-099: am. (1) Register February 2004 No. 578, eff. 3-1-04; CR 06-106: am. (1) Register June 2007 No. 618, eff. 7-1-07; correction in (3) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 6., Stats., Register February 2011 No. 662; CR 12-042: am. (1) Register December 2012 No. 684, eff. 1-1-13; CR 14-052: am. (1) Register April 2015 No. 712, eff. 5-1-15; CR 16-084: am. (1) Register September 2017 No. 741, eff. 10-1-17; CR 21-049: am. (1), cr. (5) Register March 2022 No. 795, eff. 4-1-22. PSC 135.053PSC 135.053 General additions [49 CFR 192.53]. (aw) Some of the materials conforming to specifications approved for use under 49 CFR 192 may not have properties suitable for the lower portion of the temperature band covered by 49 CFR 192. Operators are cautioned to give attention to the low-temperature properties of the materials used for facilities to be exposed to unusually low ground temperatures or low atmospheric temperatures. Twenty inch steel pipe and larger, with a specified minimum yield strength of 52,000 p.s.i. or higher, shall be tested for fracture toughness in accordance with the applicable section of respective API standard under which it was produced, except for small lot purchases of pipe where testing for fracture toughness is impractical. (dw) When substantial quantities of pipe are acquired certified reports of chemical composition and physical properties shall be obtained; when the quantity of pipe involved is so limited that this requirement would be impractical, a certified statement shall be obtained setting forth the specification under which the pipe was manufactured.
PSC 135.053 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. (ew) Fittings in copper piping. Fittings in copper piping and exposed to the soil, such as service tees and pressure control fittings, shall be made of bronze, copper or brass.
PSC 135.125 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. PSC 135.163PSC 135.163 Compressor stations: design and construction additions [49 CFR 192.163]. (bw) All compressor station buildings shall be constructed of non-combustible materials.
(cw) Exits shall be provided in compliance with the requirements of the Wisconsin Commercial Building Code, chs. SPS 361 to 366. Ladders shall not be used for exits. (ew) All electrical equipment and wiring installed in gas transmission and distribution compressor stations shall conform to the requirements of the state electrical code, chs. SPS 316 and PSC 114. PSC 135.163 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; correction in (2) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register February 2004, No. 578; correction in (2) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register April 2007 No. 616; correction in (2) and (3) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2012 No. 684; CR 21-049: am. (1) Register March 2022 No. 795, eff. 4-1-22. (aw) Fire protection. Fire-protection facilities shall be provided as specifically directed by the department of safety and professional services and the local fire department. The operation of fire-protection facilities, such as pumps, shall not be affected by an emergency shutdown.
PSC 135.171 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; correction made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 6., Stats., Register December 2018 No. 756. (1w) There shall be compliance with the state heating, ventilation, and air conditioning code, ch. SPS 364. PSC 135.173 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; correction made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2012 No. 684. (bw) The distance between the valve and the regulator or regulators shall be sufficient to permit the operation of the valve during an emergency such as a large gas leak or a fire in the station. These valves shall be in accessible locations neither closer than 25 feet nor more than 1,500 feet distant from each regulator station.
PSC 135.181 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. (dw) In the design of vaults and pits for pressure limiting, pressure relieving and pressure regulating equipment, the installed equipment shall be protected from damage, such as that resulting from an explosion within the vault or pit, which may cause portions of the roof or cover to fall into the vault.
(ew) Vault or pit openings shall be located so as to minimize the hazards of tools or other objects falling upon the regulator, piping, or other equipment. The control piping and the operating parts of the equipment installed shall not be located under a vault or pit opening where workers can step on them when entering or leaving the vault or pit, unless such parts are suitably protected. Whenever a vault or pit opening is to be located above equipment which could be damaged by a falling cover, a circular cover should be installed or other suitable precautions taken.
PSC 135.183 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. (4w) The outside end of the ducts shall be equipped with a suitable weatherproof fitting or vent-head designed to prevent foreign matter from entering or obstructing the duct. The effective area of the openings in such fittings or vent-heads shall be at least equal to the cross-sectional area of a 4-inch duct. The horizontal section of the ducts shall be as short as practical and shall be pitched to prevent the accumulation of liquids in the line. The number of bends and offsets shall be reduced to a minimum and provisions shall be incorporated to facilitate the periodic cleaning of the ducts.
PSC 135.187 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99. PSC 135.189PSC 135.189 Vaults: drainage and waterproofing additions [49 CFR 192.189]. (aw) Nevertheless, vault equipment shall always be designed to operate safely, if submerged.
(cw) Electrical equipment in vaults shall conform to the applicable requirements of the state electrical code, chs. SPS 316 and PSC 114. PSC 135.189 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, October, 1999, No. 526, eff. 11-1-99; correction in (2) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2012 No. 684. (3w) Suitable types of protective devices to prevent overpressuring of high-pressure distribution systems include:
(i) Spring-loaded relief valves of types meeting the provisions of the ASME Unfired Pressure Vessel Code.
(ii) Pilot-loaded back-pressure regulators used as relief valves, so designed that failure of the pilot system or control lines will cause the regulator to open.
