08-28-2002 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUT)uS CITY COUNCIL AUGUST 28, 2002 Government will be conducting further study of the issue over the next year, and may come out with a specific recommendation. Anderson asked if the Oflice of Pipeline Safety will be proposing any legislation this year. Kenow stated that they will not be proposing legislation for this session. He indicated that they will wait until next year after new Federal legislation comes out. Kenow indicated that in addition to the setback issue, the Federal Government will also be looking into access issues related to emergency vehicles. Fahey did not believe that access was an issue in this particular case. Fahey asked what access concerns the Office of Pipeline Safety has with this particular proposal Kenow indicated that since they have no report or recommendations from Williams Pipeline, they were not sure that Williams will adhere to their standard procedures. Fahey noted that part of his concern is that City does not have all the relevant information, specifically location of the pipeline, easement widths, etc. Fahey indicated, however, that he was not sure that the 150- foot setback being proposed by the neighborhood was reasonable. Fahey asked if any cities have adopted a 150-foot setback. He noted that the City of Maplewood has adopted a 100-foot setback, but allows for variance from that distance for various reasons. Kenow agreed that Maplewood has enacted the 100-foot setback. He noted that his office has had inquiries from other communities about the setback issues, but he does not know if any cities have adopted that 150- foot setback standard. The 150-foot distance came from a determination that this distance is where the most damage occurs. Fahey pointed out that if there is a major leak a distance of 150 feet will not be adequate, and it would be impractical to require a setback of several blocks that might be necessary. Fahey stated that he needs more information before he can make a decision on whether or not to adopt a pipeline setback ordinance. He indicated that he would like to know what standards other cities are adopting. Fahey pointed out that adoption of a 150 foot standard would likely make the Palmen property undevelopable, and unless there are compelling reasons fora 150-foot setback, Fahey indicated that it maybe an unreasonable distance. Scalze stated that she would like to see a diagram showing the pipeline in the City and the distances of existing housing from these pipelines.