(a) Every rupture, explosion, or fire involving a pipeline, including a pipeline system otherwise exempted by subdivision (a) of Section 51010.5, and including a pipeline undergoing testing, shall be immediately reported by the pipeline operator to the fire department having fire suppression responsibilities and to the Office of Emergency Services.

(b) (1) The Office of Emergency Services shall immediately notify the State Fire Marshal of the incident, who shall immediately dispatch State Fire Marshal employees to the scene. The State Fire Marshal or the employees, upon arrival, shall provide technical expertise and advise the operator and all public agencies on activities needed to mitigate the hazard.

Terms Used In California Government Code 51018

  • Flow line: means a pipeline that transports hazardous liquid substances from the well head to a treating facility or production storage facility. See California Government Code 51010.5
  • Hydrostatic testing: means the application of internal pressure above the normal or maximum operating pressure to a segment of pipeline, under no-flow conditions for a fixed period of time, utilizing a liquid test medium. See California Government Code 51010.5
  • Pipeline: includes every intrastate pipeline used for the transportation of hazardous liquid substances or highly volatile liquid substances, including a common carrier pipeline, and all piping containing those substances located within a refined products bulk loading facility that is owned by a common carrier and is served by a pipeline of that common carrier, and the common carrier owns and serves by pipeline at least five of these facilities in the state. See California Government Code 51010.5
  • Rural area: means a location that lies outside the limits of any incorporated or unincorporated city or city and county, or other residential or commercial area, such as a subdivision, a business, a shopping center, or a community development. See California Government Code 51010.5
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, the Legislature does not intend to hinder or disrupt the workings of the “incident commander system,” but does intend to establish a recognized element of expertise and direction for the incident command to consult and acknowledge as an authority on the subject of pipeline incident mitigation. Furthermore, it is expected that the State Fire Marshal will recognize the expertise of the pipeline operator and any other emergency agency personnel who may be familiar with the particular location of the incident and respect their knowledgeable input regarding the mitigation of the incident.

(c) For purposes of this section, “rupture” includes every unintentional liquid leak, including any leak that occurs during hydrostatic testing, except that a crude oil leak of less than five barrels from a pipeline or flow line in a rural area, or any crude oil or petroleum product leak in any in-plant piping system of less than five barrels, when no fire, explosion, or bodily injury results or no waterway is contaminated thereby, does not constitute a rupture for purposes of the reporting requirements of subdivision (a).

(d) This section does not preempt any other applicable federal or state reporting requirement.

(e) Except as otherwise provided in this section and Section 8589.7, a notification made pursuant to this section shall satisfy any immediate notification requirement contained in any permit issued by a permitting agency.

(f) This section does not apply to pipeline ruptures involving nonreportable crude oil spills under § 3233 of the Public Resources Code, unless the spill involves a fire or explosion.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 536, Sec. 10. (AB 2931) Effective January 1, 2023.)

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