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includes ten inspectors. MnOPS is affiliated with the State.Fire Marshal's <br />Office, which is a division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. <br />The State Fire Marshal is the Director of MnOPS. The 56 pipeline <br />operators regulated by MnOPS transmit hazardous liquids, �atural gas, <br />propane, and �iquified natural gas. <br />Following the tragic Mounds Vi�w accident of 198fi, the Legislature <br />created the MnOPS through the 1987 Pipeline Safety Act (Minnesota <br />Statutes 299J and 299F}. Because ofi its excellent program fior inspecting <br />pipeline operators within the state, the Federal Office of Pipeline Safety <br />- (FOPS) granted MnOPS interstate agent status in 'f 991. This status gave <br />MnOPS the responsibility of inspecting all pipelir�e operators within <br />Minnesota's borders. Minnesota is one of only five states nation wide <br />w�th this level of inspection authority. <br />MnQPS has jurisdiction over nearly 4,000 miles of hazardous liquids <br />pipelines and over 4fi,000 miies of natural gas and propane pipelines, as <br />well as three fiquified natural gas facilities. <br />AI! pipeiine operators in Minnesota receive at least one inspection <br />annually. MnOPS also conducts inspections on a finra, #hree, or four year <br />cycle as required by MnOPS and/or FOPS policy. <br />An inspe�ion is defined as: the examination of all or part of an opeTator's <br />pipeline faciiities tha# are under the control of an administrative unit that <br />provides sufficient communication and supervisory controls to ensure <br />uniform design, construction, inspection, operaiion, maintenance, and <br />emergency response procedures far the facilities. Among other concerns, <br />the geographicaE size of a facility is also taken into consideration. <br />Although the inspection program for hazardous liquids and natural gas <br />pipeline facilities are not identical, the foliowing major components are <br />common to both: operation and maintenance plan, emergency plan, <br />damage prevention program, training and public education programs, <br />safety related conditions, accident reporting, emergency release <br />reporting, failure investigation, line markers, corrosion control, and <br />abandoned faciliiies. The field inspection portion includes any item(s) of <br />concern identified during the inspection, or other subject areas judged <br />appropriate by the inspector. <br />In addition to the annual inspection program, MnQPS conducts: <br />random "spo#" inspections, <br />6-3 <br />