A Novel Approach to Risk Management of Belowground Natural Gas Migration From Leaks on Low-Pressure Pipelines

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Maddin ◽  
Dongliang Lu ◽  
Aleksandar Tomic
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Gas Migration ◽  
Confined Space ◽  
Leak Management

Abstract Small-diameter, low-pressure pipelines (operated at pressures below 40 percent of specified minimum yield strength [SMYS]) are unlikely to experience a rupture but may be vulnerable to leaks. In general, gas leaks result in less significant consequences to public safety than ruptures; however, under certain circumstances leaks may represent a significant threat. In particular, leaks resulting in belowground gas migration from low-pressure pipelines to a nearby confined space (e.g. the basement of a nearby structure to which the pipeline is not physically connected) may result in significant consequences as accumulation of gas to flammable or explosive levels may be possible. This paper explores the methods by which an Operator may address the threat of gas migration from leaks on low pressure pipelines in its risk assessment and leak management programs. Research was conducted into the specific conditions that contribute to belowground gas migration and included: a literature review of studies into gas migration phenomena, and a review of historical incidents within the United States on similar pipeline systems which resulted in significant property damage, injuries, or fatalities. The research included consideration of the effect of pipeline operating conditions, pipeline attributes (including diameter and depth of cover), leak duration, proximity of nearby structures, attributes of nearby structures (including presence of basements, slabs, and openings in the foundations), leak severity (e.g. pinhole, full separation), ground conditions (including soil permeability and presence of belowground features), and gas odorization. Key conditions impacting the potential for belowground gas migration are identified, and risk assessment methods and leak management practices are recommended based on the likelihood of migration. Based on the research conducted and the environmental conditions identified, a quantitative risk assessment approach, taking into account the likelihood of a leak on a low-pressure pipeline, the likelihood of belowground gas migration, and the potential consequences to public safety, is proposed.

Assessing the influence of forest ownership type and location on roundwood utilization at the stump and top in a region with small-diameter markets

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Bumgardner ◽  
Scott Bowe ◽  
Janice Wiedenbeck
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Predictor Variable ◽  
The United States ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Ownership Type ◽  
Private Forests ◽  
Timber Sales ◽  
Stump Diameter

Research conducted in a variety of hardwood regions across the United States has indicated that utilization of small-diameter roundwood is hindered by a lack of markets. Efficient removal of such material could enable silvicultural practices to improve stand conditions and economic return for landowners. However, evidence from other studies has suggested that markets alone may not be enough to encourage small-diameter utilization, and that management decisions are important as well. This study sought to compare roundwood utilization at the stump and top for different ownership categories and locations in north-central Wisconsin, a region with active pulpwood and other low-grade markets and different types of forest ownerships. Thirty-six recently harvested sites were visited in 2007 and 2008 across three ownership types (managed county-owned forests, private land timber sales involving a professional forester, and private land timber sales without involvement of a professional forester) and two locations (county groupings) with different markets. Results of a linear mixed model indicated that ownership type was a significant predictor variable for the utilization measures studied (stump diameter, top diameter, and stump height). Location effects were significant for stump diameter and stump height. Sales on unmanaged private forests exhibited the largest stump and top diameters and highest stump heights, regardless of location. Overall, this study suggests that both management practices and markets influence harvest site small-diameter utilization.

scholarly journals Beyond Cash Bail: Public Health, Risk Assessment, and California Senate Bill 10

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Guttman ◽  
Yuki Hebner ◽  
Kanon Mori ◽  
Jonathan Balk
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Pretrial Release ◽  
Pretrial Detention ◽  
Senate Bill

The detrimental effects of incarceration on physical and mental health are widely acknowledged. However, 76% of the United States jail population is awaiting trial without having been convicted of a crime (Sawyer and Wagner 2020). This is driven by the monetary bail system, which the state of California moved to abolish by passing the 2018 California Money Bail Reform Act (Senate Bill 10, hereafter SB 10). SB 10 proposes the use of algorithmically driven risk assessment tools to determine pretrial release. However, actuarial risk assessments are not calibrated to California’s diverse demography and are insufficient to determine which defendants pose flight or public safety risks. SB 10 is predicted to perpetuate similar socioeconomic and racial disparities as the current system, while failing to decrease pretrial detention. We recommend opposing SB 10 in favor of pretrial release for most misdemeanor and nonviolent defendants. The funding currently allocated for pretrial detainment should be redirected toward evidence-based and restorative pretrial supervision practices through the enactment of new bail-reform legislation by the state of California. Increasing the use of diversion programs, which redirect defendants to the appropriate mental health or substance abuse programs, also presents opportunities to restore treatment to the jurisdiction of public health rather than criminal justice. Transitioning from a reliance on pretrial detention to pretrial services will mitigate the collateral effects of incarceration while improving public health, public safety, and substantially reducing the cost of incarceration.

Strategies to improve implementation of adaptive management practices for restoration in coastal Louisiana

Shore & Beach ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 83-91
Author(s):  
Tim Carruthers ◽  
Richard Raynie ◽  
Alyssa Dausman ◽  
Syed Khalil
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
State Agency ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Coastal Restoration ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Coastal Louisiana ◽  
Restoration Effort

Natural resources of coastal Louisiana support the economies of Louisiana and the whole of the United States. However, future conditions of coastal Louisiana are highly uncertain due to the dynamic processes of the Mississippi River delta, unpredictable storm events, subsidence, sea level rise, increasing temperatures, and extensive historic management actions that have altered natural coastal processes. To address these concerns, a centralized state agency was formed to coordinate coastal protection and restoration effort, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). This promoted knowledge centralization and supported informal adaptive management for restoration efforts, at that time mostly funded through the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). Since the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in 2010 and the subsequent settlement, the majority of restoration funding for the next 15 years will come through one of the DWH mechanisms; Natural Resource and Damage Assessment (NRDA), the RESTORE Council, or National Fish and Wildlife Foundation –Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (NFWF-GEBF). This has greatly increased restoration effort and increased governance complexity associated with project funding, implementation, and reporting. As a result, there is enhanced impetus to formalize and unify adaptive management processes for coastal restoration in Louisiana. Through synthesis of input from local coastal managers, historical and current processes for project and programmatic implementation and adaptive management were summarized. Key gaps and needs to specifically increase implementation of adaptive management within the Louisiana coastal restoration community were identified and developed into eight tangible and specific recommendations. These were to streamline governance through increased coordination amongst implementing entities, develop a discoverable and practical lessons learned and decision database, coordinate ecosystem reporting, identify commonality of restoration goals, develop a common cross-agency adaptive management handbook for all personnel, improve communication (both in-reach and outreach), have a common repository and clearing house for numerical models used for restoration planning and assessment, and expand approaches for two-way stakeholder engagement throughout the restoration process. A common vision and maximizing synergies between entities can improve adaptive management implementation to maximize ecosystem and community benefits of restoration effort in coastal Louisiana. This work adds to current knowledge by providing specific strategies and recommendations, based upon extensive engagement with restoration practitioners from multiple state and federal agencies. Addressing these practitioner-identified gaps and needs will improve engagement in adaptive management in coastal Louisiana, a large geographic area with high restoration implementation within a complex governance framework.

THE NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT OF COST MANAGEMENT AMONG EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY U.S. TEXITLE MANUFACTURERS

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Tyson
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
New England ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cost Management ◽  
Cost Accounting ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
Cost Information ◽  
Early Nineteenth Century ◽  
Textile Mills

Several authors have suggested that a particular managerial component was needed before cost accounting could be fully used for accountability and disciplinary purposes. They argue that the marriage of managerialism and accounting first occurred in the United States at the Springfield Armory after 1840. They generally downplay the quality and usefulness of cost accounting at the New England textile mills before that time and call for a re-examination of original mill records from a disciplinary perspective. This paper reports the results of such a re-examination. It initially describes the social and economic environment of U.S. textile manufacturing in New England in the early nineteenth century. Selected cost memos and reports are described and analyzed to indicate the nature and scope of costing undertaken at the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the late 1820s and early 1830s. The paper discusses how particular cost information was used and speculates why certain more modern procedures were not adopted. Its major finding is that cost management practices fully measured up to the business complexities, economic pressures, and social forces of the day.

scholarly journals The Soil Organic Matter in Connection with Soil Properties and Soil Inputs

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 779
Author(s):  
Václav Voltr ◽  
Ladislav Menšík ◽  
Lukáš Hlisnikovský ◽  
Martin Hruška ◽  
Eduard Pokorný ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Natural Soil ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Linear Regression Models

The content of organic matter in the soil, its labile (hot water extractable carbon–HWEC) and stable (soil organic carbon–SOC) form is a fundamental factor affecting soil productivity and health. The current research in soil organic matter (SOM) is focused on individual fragmented approaches and comprehensive evaluation of HWEC and SOC changes. The present state of the soil together with soil’s management practices are usually monitoring today but there has not been any common model for both that has been published. Our approach should help to assess the changes in HWEC and SOC content depending on the physico-chemical properties and soil´s management practices (e.g., digestate application, livestock and mineral fertilisers, post-harvest residues, etc.). The one- and multidimensional linear regressions were used. Data were obtained from the various soil´s climatic conditions (68 localities) of the Czech Republic. The Czech farms in operating conditions were observed during the period 2008–2018. The obtained results of ll monitored experimental sites showed increasing in the SOC content, while the HWEC content has decreased. Furthermore, a decline in pH and soil´s saturation was documented by regression modelling. Mainly digestate application was responsible for this negative consequence across all soils in studied climatic regions. The multivariate linear regression models (MLR) also showed that HWEC content is significantly affected by natural soil fertility (soil type), phosphorus content (−30%), digestate application (+29%), saturation of the soil sorption complex (SEBCT, 21%) and the dose of total nitrogen (N) applied into the soil (−20%). Here we report that the labile forms (HWEC) are affected by the application of digestate (15%), the soil saturation (37%), the application of mineral potassium (−7%), soil pH (−14%) and the overall condition of the soil (−27%). The stable components (SOM) are affected by the content of HWEC (17%), soil texture 0.01–0.001mm (10%), and input of organic matter and nutrients from animal production (10%). Results also showed that the mineral fertilization has a negative effect (−14%), together with the soil depth (−11%), and the soil texture 0.25–2 mm (−21%) on SOM. Using modern statistical procedures (MRLs) it was confirmed that SOM plays an important role in maintaining resp. improving soil physical, biochemical and biological properties, which is particularly important to ensure the productivity of agroecosystems (soil quality and health) and to future food security.

Immigrant Sanctuary Policies and Crime-Reporting Behavior: A Multilevel Analysis of Reports of Crime Victimization to Law Enforcement, 1980 to 2004

2021 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-185
Author(s):  
Ricardo D. Martínez-Schuldt ◽  
Daniel E. Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Crime Reporting ◽  
Immigrant Community ◽  
Crime Victimization ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Reporting Behavior

Sanctuary jurisdictions have existed in the United States since the 1980s. They have recently reentered U.S. politics and engendered contentious debates regarding their legality and influence on public safety. Critics argue that sanctuary jurisdictions create conditions that threaten local communities by impeding federal immigration enforcement efforts. Proponents maintain that the policies improve public safety by fostering institutional trust among immigrant communities and by increasing the willingness of immigrant community members to notify the police after they are victimized. In this study, we situate expectations from the immigrant sanctuary literature within a multilevel, contextualized help-seeking framework to assess how crime-reporting behavior varies across immigrant sanctuary contexts. We find that Latinos are more likely to report violent crime victimization to law enforcement after sanctuary policies have been adopted within their metropolitan areas of residence. We argue that social policy contexts can shift the nature of help-seeking experiences and eliminate barriers that undermine crime victims’ willingness to mobilize the law. Overall, this study highlights the unique role social policy contexts can serve in structuring victims’ help-seeking decisions.

scholarly journals Risk and the Republican National Convention: Application of the Novel COVID-19 Operational Risk Assessment

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
David Callaway ◽  
Jeff Runge ◽  
Lucia Mullen ◽  
Lisa Rentz ◽  
Kevin Staley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
World Health ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Mass Gathering ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
National Convention

Abstract The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization broadly categorize mass gathering events as high risk for amplification of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread in a community due to the nature of respiratory diseases and the transmission dynamics. However, various measures and modifications can be put in place to limit or reduce the risk of further spread of COVID-19 for the mass gathering. During this pandemic, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security produced a risk assessment and mitigation tool for decision-makers to assess SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks that may arise as organizations and businesses hold mass gatherings or increase business operations: The JHU Operational Toolkit for Businesses Considering Reopening or Expanding Operations in COVID-19 (Toolkit). This article describes the deployment of a data-informed, risk-reduction strategy that protects local communities, preserves local health-care capacity, and supports democratic processes through the safe execution of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The successful use of the Toolkit and the lessons learned from this experience are applicable in a wide range of public health settings, including school reopening, expansion of public services, and even resumption of health-care delivery.

Mining wastewater management and its effects on groundwater and ecosystems

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 1481-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Celebi ◽  
S. Özdemir
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Wastewater Management ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Mining Wastewater ◽  
The Developed Countries

Large-scale mining activities have a huge impact on the environment. Determination of the size of the effect and monitoring it is vital. In this study, risk assessment studies in mining areas and the effect of mining on groundwater and ecosystems were investigated. Best management practices and risk assessment steps were determined, especially in areas with huge amounts of mining wastewater. The pollution of groundwater and its reaching humans is a risk of major importance. Our study showed, using many cases with different parameters and countries, that the management of mining wastewater is vital. Environmental impact assessments and monitoring studies must be carried out before operation and at the closure of the mine. Policies must be in place and ready to apply. Factors of climate, geology, ecology and human health must be considered over a long period. Currently, only the developed countries are applying policies and paying attention to the risk. International assessments and health risk assessments should be carried out according to international standards.

Risk assessment of waterborne protozoa: current status and future trends

Parasitology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 117 (7) ◽  
pp. 205-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. GIBSON ◽  
C. N. HAAS ◽  
J. B. ROSE
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Microbial Risk Assessment ◽  
Microbial Risk ◽  
Chemical Risk Assessment ◽  
Low Levels

Throughout the past decade much research has been directed towards identifying the occurrence, epidemiology, and risks associated with waterborne protozoa. While outbreaks are continually documented, sporadic cases of disease associated with exposure to low levels of waterborne protozoa are of increasing concern. Current methodologies may not be sensitive enough to define these low levels of disease. However, risk assessment methods may be utilised to address these low level contamination events. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to microbial risk assessment for waterborne protozoa. Risk assessment is a useful tool for evaluating relative risks and can be used for development of policies to decrease risks. Numerous studies have been published on risk assessment methods for pathogenic protozoa including Cryptosporidium and Giardia. One common notion prevails: microbial risk assessment presents interesting complications to the traditional chemical risk assessment paradigm. Single microbial exposures (non-threshold) are capable of causing symptomatic illness unlike traditional chemical exposures, which require a threshold to be reached. Due to the lack of efficient recovery and detection methods for protozoa, we may be underestimating the occurrence, concentration and distribution of these pathogenic micro-organisms. To better utilize the tool of microbial risk assessment for risk management practices, future research should focus in the area of exposure assessment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document