# Presentation: 171570

## PHMSA Public Awareness WorkshopGas Distribution Operators Lessons Learned

- Presenter - Jerry Gann
- February 20, 2008

## Company Overview

## Company Overview 

## Company Overview - Pipelines and Gathering

**2 Interstate Pipelines:**
**7,900 miles of pipe, 940 Bcf per year**
**Field Services:**
**3,700 miles of gathering lines, 375 Bcf gas gathered**
**Pipeline Services:**
**Operations & maintenance**
**Pipeline integrity**

## Company Overview 

## Natural Gas Distribution

**Three LDCs serving more than 3 million customers in 6 states**
**Competitive gas services**
**7,000 commercial/industrial ****customers**

## CNP Public Awareness Plan

- CenterPoint Energy initiated a corporate wide PA awareness team
- Team was made up of transmission and distribution personnel representing all operating regions
- Team developed a plan for both the distribution and transmission companies
- Goal was to implement a consistent PA plan across all service territories and maintain continous oversight

## CNP Public Awareness Plan

- Lessons Learned
- There were significant differences in the transmission and distribution plans as far as meeting compliance
- CNP had to implement its plan across 8 states with varying degrees of challenges
- Multiple types of delivery methods and/or media had to be utilized

## CNP Public Awareness Plan

- Lessons Learned
- The implementation of the plan would require additional resource. CNP PA budget was increased more than one million dollars in 2007 compared to 2005
- The affected public non-customer would be the most difficult audience to reach
- More than 75% of the budget for PA is spent on reaching this audience

## CNP Public Awareness Plan

- Lessons Learned
- Collaborative efforts were identified as a critical element for effective communications
- Opportunities to leverage collaborative efforts for CNP as a whole were adversely impacted by the different delivery frequencies and delivery methods and/or media baseline activities identified in RP-1162

## CNP Public Awareness Plan

- Types of Delivery Methods
- CNP used various delivery methods to execute our PA plan
- Bill Stuffers
- Direct Mail Pieces to:
- Affect Public Non-Customers, Emergency Officials, Public Officials, Excavators/Contractors, One Call Centers
- Radio Commercials
- Television Commercials

## CNP Public Awareness Plan

- Types of Delivery Methods - Cont
- Newspaper
- Magazines
- Community Events
- Joined Several Collaborative Efforts
- CAER Program in Minnesota
- DigTess/Celeritas Mail Out Program
- Paradigm Mail Out Program
- Texas Public Awareness Alliance

**Notes:**
CAER program for emergency responders 		$26,000
Operated by Celeritas
20-Plus ER training meetings statewide
Includes mailing to targeted public officials

## CNP Public Awareness Plan

- Some of Our Success Stories
- Baseline Surveys Performed in June 2006 and 2005
- Not locking into to one delivery method to execute our plan
- Collaborative Efforts, Collaborative Efforts, Collaborative Efforts

**Notes:**
CAER program for emergency responders 		$26,000
Operated by Celeritas
20-Plus ER training meetings statewide
Includes mailing to targeted public officials

## Public Awareness – Going Forward

- Some areas for potential revision or clarification
- Make revisions to RP-1162 for the affected public non-customer  stakeholder audience to entice collaborative efforts
- Review Delivery Frequencies
- Review Delivery and/or Media Methods for Baseline Requirements

**Notes:**
CAER program for emergency responders 		$26,000
Operated by Celeritas
20-Plus ER training meetings statewide
Includes mailing to targeted public officials

## Public Awareness – Going Forward

- Delivery Frequency of messages

## Public Awareness – Going Forward

- Baseline Requirements For The Non-Customer Affected Public

| Type of Operator | Stakeholder Audience | Delivery Frequency | Delivery Method and/or Media |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Local Natural Gas Distribution | Residents along the Local Distribution System (LDC) | Annual | Public Service Announcements, OR 
Paid Advertisements, OR
Bill Stuffers (for combination electric & gas companies |
| Hazardous liquid and Natural Gas Transmission | Residents located along transmission pipeline ROW
And
Places of congregation | 2 years | Targeted distribution of print materials

Pipeline Markers |
| Gathering Pipeline | Residents 
And
Places of congregation within area of potential impact | 2 years | Targeted distribution of print materials
OR
Personal Contact |

## Public Awareness – Going Forward

- Make revisions to RP-1162 for the affected public Non-customer stakeholder audience to entice collaborative efforts
*Revise* Delivery Frequencies
*Establish Common Delivery Frequencies for this audience*
*A two year frequency for this audience should be established for all operators *
*Revise* Delivery and/or Media Methods for Baseline Requirements
*Establish common delivery and/or media methods for all operators. This is the critical piece hindering all collaborative efforts *

**Notes:**
CAER program for emergency responders 		$26,000
Operated by Celeritas
20-Plus ER training meetings statewide
Includes mailing to targeted public officials

## Public Awareness – Going Forward

- Some other questions
- RP1162 states mailings are an “effective” tool.  Will PHMSA develop a list of accepted “effective” approaches for an operators PA program?
- The industry as a whole is spending a lot of money on this effort.  Does PHMSA have a measuring tool that will verify the Public Awareness initiative is effective across the US?
- There is a lot of concern about how PHMSA will measure effectiveness of operators programs in the coming years. Operators would like some insight now so we can address any deficiencies in our PA programs

**Notes:**
CAER program for emergency responders 		$26,000
Operated by Celeritas
20-Plus ER training meetings statewide
Includes mailing to targeted public officials

## Public Awareness

- QUESTIONS?

**Notes:**
CAER program for emergency responders 		$26,000
Operated by Celeritas
20-Plus ER training meetings statewide
Includes mailing to targeted public officials