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Home My WebLink About20122244.tiff A THOS WELD COUNTY energy COMMISSIONERS BIZ AUG 20 A 0 Ob August 13,2012 RECEIVED ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED ^'AUTO"3-DIGIT 806 T73 P1 18504 MR.SEAN CONWAY WELD COUNTY COMMISSIONER WELD COUNTY P.O.BOX 758 GREELEY,CO 80632-0758 1i1111udllilllliillilllilui IdillhldiiIiPiutIIluIIIIII Dear Mr. Conway: Federal law requires Atmos Energy to communicate with you about pipeline safety public awareness. To provide you with essential information, I am enclosing a fact sheet we have prepared for public officials. Please read and share it with your colleagues and staff. The law recognizes that elected and appointed officials have a special obligation to protect others. • Please help prevent damages to pipelines. Damages by third-party excavators outrank all other risks causing pipeline accidents. Therefore,we ask you to publicize the 811 One-Call program,to observe our state's mandatory One-Call law and,if you are responsible for excavation or maintenance,to always call 811 before digging. • Know the signs of leaking natural gas. If you suspect a gas leak, immediately evacuate the area and from a safe distance call Atmos Energy at 1-866-322-8667 or call 911. • Ensure that an up-to-date emergency-response plan is in place in case of a gas incident. Federal law also mandates us to corroborate our communications with you about pipeline safety public awareness and to measure our program's results. Both federal and state auditors have asked to see the names of public officials whom we have contacted in the past and whether or not they responded.We have engaged an independent survey firm to contact you in the coming weeks to ask a few questions about pipeline safety.We hope you'll be willing to provide your comments. Thank you for your help with this essential public safety program. If you have questions or would like more information,please call me at 970-304-2092. Sincerely, g ir0 ,a Brian Martens Manager of Public Affairs COrnrnLwv G..�r anti. 2012-2244 ATMOS energy, Information for public officials Facts about Pipeline Safety Public Awareness Pipeline purpose and reliability Emergency preparedness Pipelines play a vital role in American lives. They Atmos Energy's employees are highly trained to deliver natural gas to more than 71 million homes operate natural gas pipelines safely and to control and businesses for heating, cooking and countless emergencies promptly. They coordinate with local manufacturing operations. In the United States, fire departments, other emergency-responders and natural gas supplies one-fourth of all our energy state One-Call organizations to sponsor pipeline needs, and pipelines are essential to transport the safety training. They also work closely on detailed massive volumes of gas consumed. Underground emergency response plans. Our primary goal is to pipelines do not crowd highways and waterways, always protect the public and our employees. as trucks and barges would, and they do not con- Communicating with officials, the public and others tribute to highway congestion or traffic pollution. Besides informing local and state public officials, Natural gas pipelines are safe, silent and unseen. Atmos Energy is required by federal law to corn- Hazard awareness and prevention measures municate with the gen- The 2.4 million miles of U.S. natural gas pipelines eral public, emergency SMEll rank as the country's safest form of transportation. officials and excavators Nevertheless, a pipeline leak or damage due to dig- to improve public aware UMMY - in or a natural disasterposes apotential hazard. ging ness of pipeline safety. KOOK' Natural is a hi h- -Antimzpr gas g Atmos Energy's natural µ.rye , .._ ly flammable fuel. It gas distribution opera LEAVE - • `4)3 vs! __ can migrate through � :.."°`""� v...We...na..•.. '� g g tions have long been ..,":::7 d...‘air underground voids "`t. :i_e ..� ....m,„ --iii,_ .,,• g recognized as industry �+�•�.+n m,..i,.n It.i s4 and sewer lines into leaders in safety corn Amos - energy. f� ',- - nearby structures. In munication programs. ww .u.. _. ` At ` . 1 . enclosed spaces, gas _. '. _ can displace oxygen We conduct an extensive �._ ��,, 5__ P Yg Atmos Energy's gas pipeline safety O : '"! ' :,;&•-' and cause asphyxia- pipeline public awareness advertising reachnopproximately : ";:"� that's 20 million adults in the 1,615 cities le y tion. Under certain program designed r' li , ii, and towns that the company serves. circumstances, leak- to reach some 20 million . ing gas can create a adults across our 12-state service territory. This A 30-inch gas transmission line is inspected as volatile concentration program has our senior management's full support, part of our integrity management program. that can explode from is led by a team of company experts and employs just a spark. To prevent such hazards, Atmos Ener- leading creative and opinion-research consultants. gy and other pipeline operators conduct extensive Atmos Energy also collaborates with other utilities "integrity management" programs to continually and pipeline operators on more than 30 statewide check pipelines for leaks, corrosion and damage. efforts to expand pipeline safety public awareness. Whether company-sponsored or in a collaborative Lacking specific contact information, anyone who effort, our safety communications with the public suspects a natural gas leak should always call 911. include thousands of radio, One-Call notification requirements television and publication NATURAL GAS SAFELY All states now mandate calling 811 before digging. advertisements, safety bill EL GAS NATURAL Atmos Energy publicizes the One-Call requirement V s511SEGURID inserts to our customers in and displays the 811 logo on its English and Spanish, safety SMELL HUELA 811 service vehicles. It also p artici- information and videos on `Lµ1.° � '• i -'- pates in One-Call organizations our website and on social LISTEN ESCUCHE know what's below. in all the states where it has pipe- p..ryb.n.•.Mrw. W.-...4 n..d..n,.. .u.luuln4s MfiM.m..44..y.mr media sites, mailings every a. . -.gYL.n.L M nw...4�-. MIRE all before you dig. lines, underwrites training for n....u..6.Ind LOOK un.. (1...A ..a..•ri.JF Mt two years to all those along �v-.r�...,..n... °, r4'n.S. ...�. � ' ` Fa" """'Ny` excavators, builders and developers, and supports nn..l 1.1.•+..4•v M Mwi.4r..a,.M..t..4. I•.ro w..[..Yin $. ..wr+.MA.l•'IV•' our transmission pipeline "' LEAVE ALEIESE the Common Ground Alliance as a gold sponsor. 1.1....4.nap 44.al.•4n 1.n-/--qW M.r rights of way, educational .n,.,.�.k,•Lu w ..,a•w.in-M. programs and promotion of groan lam Right-of-way encroachment On the cleared rights of way above pipelines, home- safety awareness at hundreds of community events. owners, businesses, schools and municipalities are Leak recognition and response not allowed to build, plant or place any barrier. This Our advertising and communications emphasize: requirement sometimes necessitates public officials SMELL for the distinctive "rotten egg" odor we add enacting additional zoning ordinances, enforcing to make natural gas detectable; LISTEN for an unu- building codes and planning for new community sual hissing sound near gas appliances or a blowing developments to ensure adequate pipeline buffers. sound near pipelines; LOOK for dense fog, blowing dirt, a bubbling creek or pond, dry spots in moist National Pipeline Mapping System To determine if a major pipeline is located nearby, areas, or dead vegetation surrounded by green, live go online to the National Pipeline Mapping System plants near gas lines; LEAVE the area immediately at http://www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov/ and search by and from a safe distance call Atmos Energy's emer- county name or Zip Code. The NPMS shows only gency number at 1 -866-322-8667 or call 911 . approximate locations of pipelines. Government employees can access more detailed information A that is not available to the public by applying for security access and an NPMS site password. GAS PIPELINE Additional information Atmos Energy publishes pipeline safety information online at www.atmosenergy.com/safety. If you have a question or wish to talk to a company compliance All pipeline operators are required to post markers manager or local operations supervisor, please call along rights of way to indicate the presence—but our regional manager of public affairs. Many state not the exact location—of buried pipelines. Mark- and federal pipeline safety resources also are avail- ers come in various shapes and sizes, with those for able, such as the regional representatives in the U.S. natural gas always being yellow. They display the Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline type of pipeline, the name of the pipeline operator Safety Community Assistance & Technical Services and the operator's emergency-contact information. at http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/CATS.htm. If you smell gas, don't wait! Leave the area and call Atmos Energy's emergency number 1 .866-322-8667 or 911 . © 2012 Atmos Energy Corporation. All rights reserved. A Hello