Blackhill Energy operates natural gas pipeline facilities in or near your community, and your property has been identified as being located along or near one of our pipeline routes. As part of our ongoing commitment to public safety, we are reaching out to share important safety information and to better understand how effective our communication efforts have been.
The questions are drawn directly from the American Petroleum Institute's Recommended Practice 1162, the industry standard that guides how pipeline operators inform and prepare the public, emergency responders, local officials and excavators. The survey asks about your awareness of pipeline safety, how to recognize the warning signs of a leak, and how to contact 811 (the one-call system) before digging on your property.
This outreach is not simply a courtesy; it fulfills a federal requirement. Under the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's (PHMSA) pipeline safety regulations at 49 CFR § 192.616, pipeline operators must develop and maintain a written, continuing public education program that follows API RP 1162, and must periodically evaluate the program's effectiveness. Surveying landowners and other stakeholders like you is one of the primary ways operators are expected to measure whether our safety messaging is reaching, and being understood by, the people who live and work near our pipelines.
Your participation matters. The information you provide helps us identify gaps in our outreach, tailor future safety materials to the needs of our neighbors and ultimately reduce the risk of pipeline-related incidents in your community. This is not a sales or marketing survey, and your responses will be kept confidential. The survey should take only a few minutes to complete.
If you have any questions about the survey, about pipelines near your property, or about pipeline safety in general, please do not hesitate to reach out to us directly at 724-202-1124 or rlogue@blackhillenergyllc.com.
Thank you for taking the time to review this information and for helping us keep your community safe.
