Pipeline Safety
En Español
What You Need to Know
Nicor Gas carefully maintains a network of natural gas mains and service pipelines that deliver natural gas to more than 640 communities in Illinois. This comprehensive infrastructure provides the natural gas necessary to successfully serve more than two million homes and businesses.
We want to take this opportunity to explain how the network of underground pipelines that bring gas to your home operate, why it is important to prevent damage to these pipelines and actions you can take to ensure safety around natural gas pipelines.
You can download our pipeline safety brochure or read topics of interest by clicking the links below:
About our natural gas pipeline safety management structure and regulation
Nicor Gas's Technical Compliance Department, a part of the Engineering group under the direction of the Vice President of Supply Operations, oversees the policies, standard practices and programs in regards to natural gas pipeline safety. The department acts as a liaison between Nicor Gas and state and federal regulatory agencies to ensure that the company complies with the various pipeline safety laws and regulations.
Nicor Gas adheres to the Code of Federal Regulations Title 49: Part 191 & 192, issued by the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA). Acting through the Office of Pipeline Safety, PHMSA administers the DOT's national regulatory program to assure the safe transportation of natural gas, petroleum and other hazardous materials by pipeline.
PHMSA requires that distribution systems comply with requirements for design, construction, testing, inspection, operations and maintenance from the point of connection to the Company's system through transmission up to and including the gas meter that is connected to a home.
Nicor Gas also complies with the requirements of Illinois Administrative Code Title 83. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) enforces the Illinois Administrative Code Title 83: Public Utilities. The ICC's Natural Gas Pipeline Safety division inspects natural gas pipeline facilities to ensure compliance with all Federal and State safety rules and regulations pertaining to the design, construction, operation and maintenance of those facilities.