The Compressed Gas Association (CGA) (cganet.com) was established in 1913 to promote industry self-regulation and to develop new safety standards in response to technical advances. Today, the compressed gas industry (industry) can look back on a century of successful self-regulation that has driven exceptional safety performance. As CGA celebrates its 100th anniversary, industry is positioned to make a strong start on the next 100 years.
The next several years will bring opportunities and challenges as the industry continues to be a vigilant safety steward and works closely with governments to ensure that when regulation is necessary, it is effective and reasonable. This article will discuss four emerging and ongoing regulatory issues shaping the industry’s future and how they are being addressed.
Natural Gas Technology
When industry diligently addresses its safety hazards and concerns, the need for regulation should be less. Regulation should support safety standards developed by industry experts and any differences coordinated in advance with those standards-developing organizations to assure the resultant regulations appropriately address the safety issues. CGA helps achieve this goal by writing technical standards and guidelines and asking that they be referenced in regulations. Our Association has the credibility to do this in the US and Canada, because for over 100 years the industry has demonstrated that it is safe and is always working to improve its safety standards and record.
Safety issues related to the burgeoning use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) provide a good example of an opportunity for industry to work to keep people safe and to remain self-regulating. Recognized as a cleaner, more abundant fuel, the use of natural gas has increased significantly in the US and Canada over the last decade, propelling industry expansion in these areas. While the industry has a century of experience handling natural gas, large scale use of liquefied natural gas is relatively new. Because LNG is extremely cold, about -130° Celsius (-202° Fahrenheit), it creates safety concerns beyond flammability.
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