(a) For a new residential or nonresidential development that is located in whole or in part within six hundred sixty feet (660′) of the center point of a natural gas transmission pipeline that was constructed or operated prior to the development, the developer must notify the operator of the natural gas transmission pipeline of the planned development no later then ten (10) days from the date of application for approval of the development, or ninety (90) days prior to commencement of construction, whichever is earlier.
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 13-3-414
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
- Personal representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
- Plat: includes plat, plan, plot or replot. See Tennessee Code 13-3-401
- Regional planning commission: means any regional planning commission established by the department of economic and community development as provided by law, and includes any municipal planning commission designated by the department as the regional planning commission of a planning region composed of the territory of a single municipality, together with the territory adjoining but outside of such municipality, no part of which is outside the municipality's urban growth boundary or, if no such boundary exists, more than five (5) miles beyond the limits of such municipality. See Tennessee Code 13-3-401
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
- United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
The developer has utilized reasonable means to notify the operator of the pipeline to verify the location of the pipeline and the pipeline easement. The developer has reviewed, or attempted to review, preliminary information about the proposed development with the pipeline operator.
(c) Within sixty (60) days of July 1, 2021, regional planning commissions shall gather raw National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) geospatial data about the locations of pipelines from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration within the United States department of transportation. A regional planning commission is immune from liability related to the approval or construction of such a development when the approval is based upon information as provided in this subsection (c).
(d) Upon receiving notice of the filing of a preliminary development plan in accordance with this section, a pipeline operator shall provide pipeline location information to the developer within forty-five (45) days, including, but not limited to, the easement or other documents reflecting the actual location of the pipeline, marking facilities on design drawings, and providing maps.
(e) No later than August 15, 2021, a pipeline operator shall file the name of its registered agent with the regional planning commission having jurisdiction.
(f) This section does not exempt developers or natural gas pipeline operators from the requirements of the Underground Utility Damage Protection Act, compiled in title 65, chapter 31.
(g) This section applies only to:
(1) Counties and municipalities that are governed by a regional planning commission for purposes of approving residential and nonresidential developments; and
(2) Preliminary development plans filed on or after July 1, 2021.
(h) A regional planning commission shall not give final approval to a development described under subsection (a) until the requirements of this section have been satisfied. A regional planning commission may rely solely upon the note submitted under subsection (b), the geospatial data gathered under subsection (c), and the recordation required under subsection (e) when determining whether the requirements of this section have been satisfied for purposes of granting final approval of such development. A regional planning commission is immune from liability related to the approval or construction of such a development when the approval is based upon information as provided in this subsection (h).
(i) As used in this section:
(1) “Natural gas transmission pipeline” means an interstate pipeline, as that term is defined in 15 U.S.C. § 3301(15);
(2) “Operator” means a person who engages in the transportation of gas, as that term is defined in 49 CFR § 192.3;
(3) “Person” means any individual, firm, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association, state, municipality, cooperative association, or joint stock association, and including any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative thereof, as that term is defined in 49 CFR § 192.3; and
(4) “Preliminary development plan” has the same meaning as defined in § 13-3-413.
