As the country’s natural gas infrastructure grows to meet national and global demands, efficient and effective pipeline construction is critical. In turn, a vital part of that process is surveying a pipeline’s route, whether for new construction or for an existing line, so that a project complies with all federal regulations; that it does not impact the environment; and that private property rights are acknowledged and respected. Although there are many certified surveyors, there are too few with the expertise and understanding to accurately survey a natural gas pipeline. Therefore, a group of stakeholders, including surveying firms and natural gas pipeline operators, convened to address the issue.
In September 2016, to address the issue, the stakeholders reached out to Grau & Associates (G&A) to help establish a trade association and develop it’s governance and member services.s and conflicting and incorrect information is a difficult task itself.
The stakeholders had clear ideas about how to answer the “pipeline surveyor” question, but did not have a strategy insofar as corporate beginnings, tax considerations, and how to tackle these questions with the future – their solutions – in mind.
G&A systematically addressed all of G&A convened a stakeholder meeting and created an agenda that walked the group through the initial steps including:
Thereafter, G&A began an iterative process with the Association of Professional Pipeline Surveyors’ (APPS) founding members to:
Today, work continues as APPS recruits new members and works with new outside partners to create and implement a “Pipeline Surveyor” certification program. The program includes the specific information modules and skill training sessions all members agree are critical to appropriately survey an existing or planned natural gas pipeline.
