§194.103 Significant and substantial harm; operator's statement

Current as of Oct 29, 2026Last amended Dec 19, 2016Official text on eCFR ↗

(a) Each operator shall submit a statement with its response plan, as required by §§ 194.107 and 194.113, identifying which line sections in a response zone can be expected to cause significant and substantial harm to the environment in the event of a discharge of oil into or on the navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.

(b) If an operator expects a line section in a response zone to cause significant and substantial harm, then the entire response zone must, for the purpose of response plan review and approval, be treated as if it is expected to cause significant and substantial harm. However, an operator will not have to submit separate plans for each line section.

(c) A line section can be expected to cause significant and substantial harm to the environment in the event of a discharge of oil into or on the navigable waters or adjoining shorelines if; the pipeline is greater than 6 5/8 inches (168 millimeters) in outside nominal diameter, greater than 10 miles (16 kilometers) in length, and the line section—

(1) Has experienced a release greater than 1,000 barrels (159 cubic meters) within the previous five years,

(2) Has experienced two or more reportable releases, as defined in § 195.50, within the previous five years,

(3) Containing any electric resistance welded pipe, manufactured prior to 1970, operates at a maximum operating pressure established under § 195.406 that corresponds to a stress level greater than 50 percent of the specified minimum yield strength of the pipe,

(4) Is located within a 5 mile (8 kilometer) radius of potentially affected public drinking water intakes and could reasonably be expected to reach public drinking water intakes, or

(5) Is located within a 1 mile (1.6 kilometer) radius of potentially affected environmentally sensitive areas, and could reasonably be expected to reach these areas.

Source: 58 FR 253, Jan. 5, 1993, as amended by Amdt. 194-3, 63 FR 37505, July 13, 1998

Compiled from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), an editorial compilation and not an official legal edition of the CFR. The official text is the Federal Register and the annual CFR edition. §194.103 on eCFR.

Sections that cite this one

  • §194.7 Operating restrictions and interim operating authorization.
  • §194.101 Operators required to submit plans.
  • §194.109 Submission of state response plans.
  • §194.113 Information summary.
  • §194.119 Submission and approval procedures.
  • Appendix A to Part 194 Appendix A to Part 194—Guidelines for the Preparation of Response Plans