The Australian Pipeline Industry Association’s Code of Environmental Practice for onshore pipelines was officially launched in Adelaide yesterday – on the eve of APIA’s annual convention – by parliamentary secretary to the federal minister for industry, tourism and resources Warren Entsch.

The new APIA Code provides a practical guide to planning, building, operating and decommissioning pipelines.

APIA chief executive Cheryl Cartwright said the Australian industry led the world in building and operating pipelines in an environmentally sensitive manner and this experience and knowledge was encapsulated by the code.

“Such international recognition confirms the high standing of this industry’s environmental practices which are reflected in the code’s guidelines,” she said.

“APIA’s code reinforces that commitment and provides other industries, that also construct vital infrastructure, with a roadmap to best practice,” she said.

Cartwright said state government agencies and regulators in South Australia and Western Australia had responded positively to the code, which was a practical, user-friendly document.

“APIA expects the Code will become the basis of a national approach in relation to all aspects of the pipeline industry,” she said.

“A common regulatory approach to dealing with the environment is particularly important when pipelines traverse several states and regulatory jurisdictions.”