Regional Gas Operator Qualification (OQ) Pooling Meetings

On December 6, 2017, municipal gas utilities met in Humbolt to discuss pooling of resources to better meet Operator Qualification (OQ) training and certification.  The meeting was facilitated by Dixie Riedel, Gas Director for KMGA and was hosted by the City of Humbolt.  This meeting was held for cities in the Eastern part of the State.  Another meeting was held on November 30, 2017 and it included cities in the South Central part of the State.  The meeting goals are to facilitate the pooling of municipal gas utilities that are located in the same region and to work together to better train and certify staff as well as support other communities in the pool.

In 1999, the Operator Qualification (OQ) rule was adopted into the Code of Federal Regulations.  The rule requires natural gas pipeline operators to document that certain employees have been adequately trained to recognize and react to abnormal operating conditions that may occur while performing specific tasks.  OQ records must be made available for inspection by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC).

We have made contact with 31 municipals across Kansas regarding OQ Planning.  Discussions from these meetings have proven both the need and willingness for cities to work together and assisting one another.  Regional meetings will continue to be held in the upcoming months.