St. Paul, Minnesota — The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) today ordered each natural gas distribution utility operating in Minnesota to provide a number of public safety protections to their customers which are designed to prevent the build-up of natural gas in the customer’s facility.

Excess Flow Valves (EFV) are safety devices installed on natural gas distribution pipelines. EFVs can reduce the risk of explosions in distribution pipelines by automatically stopping excessive, unplanned gas flows. EFVs are installed where a service line that serves an individual home or business joins the distribution pipeline.

In 2006, Congress passed legislation that required the installation of EFVs on all newly installed or replaced service lines supplying gas to single-family homes. In 2016, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued regulations to require the installation of an EFV on an existing service line if a customer requests one and required natural gas utilities to notify customers of their right to request an EFV. PHMSA left it up to the regulator of the utility to determine how the costs of installation should be allocated.

In its Order today, the Commission ordered that:

• Upon a customer’s request, a customer shall pay only the cost of excavation and surface restoration for the installation of an EFV on an existing line. The costs of the device itself and associated materials and labor incurred in the installation shall be borne by the utility, which ultimately will be paid by all ratepayers. The Commission also clarified that once an EFV is installed, there is no cost to the customer for maintenance.
• So as to better inform and alert certain groups of customers regarding the possibility of EFV installation, the Commission is requiring each natural gas distribution utility that does not already have EFVs and manual service line shut-off valves on the entirety of its system to identify and meet with the decision-makers of the following customers in their service territory:
  • Public and non-public schools;
  • Hospitals; and
  • Multi-unit residential and nursing facilities.

Information about the Commission can be found on the Commission’s website at www.mn.gov/puc.

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