Section R13-13-202. Inspection and Maintenance of Compressed Nat- ural Gas Fuel Systems

A.      This Section applies to all school buses that are powered, in whole or in part, by CNG and are introduced into Arizona after the beginning enforcement date of these rules.

B.       An owner shall not use a school bus equipped with a natural- gas fuel system to transport passengers until the natural-gas fuel system is inspected and approved by the Department. An owner shall notify the Department when the owner obtains a school bus that needs to be inspected for compliance with these rules.

C.      After the initial inspection conducted by the Department, an owner shall ensure that a school bus equipped with a natural- gas fuel system is inspected annually and under the following special circumstances:

1.        When the school bus is involved in an accident;

2.        When the natural-gas pressure vessel may have been damaged;

3.        When natural gas is smelled;

4.        When there is an unexpected loss of gas pressure, rattling, or other indication of looseness; or

5.        When the natural-gas pressure vessel is changed.

D.      An owner shall ensure that an annual or special-circumstances inspection is conducted by the Department or an individual who has proof of training provided by the manufacturer of the natural-gas fuel system or ASE alternative-fuel certification.

E.       An owner shall ensure that every inspection of a school bus equipped with a natural-gas fuel system assesses whether the natural-gas  fuel  system  meets  the  safety  standards   in  13

A.A.C. 13, and NFPA 52. This assessment shall include:

1.        Leak-testing the natural-gas fuel system in compliance with NFPA 52 guidelines;

2.        Verifying that the pressure vessel is designed for storage of CNG;

3.        Verifying that the service life of the natural-gas pressure vessel has not expired;

4.        Verifying that the natural-gas pressure vessel is certified by its manufacturer as meeting or exceeding the NGV2 standards and as being U.S. Department of Transporta- tion or ANSI listed;

5.        Verifying that all parts of the natural-gas fuel system are properly listed or approved; and

6.        Verifying that all parts of the natural-gas fuel system are installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instruc- tions.

F.       An owner shall ensure that an individual who conducts an inspection of a school bus equipped with a natural-gas fuel system completes a Compressed Natural Gas Safety Inspec- tion Form, which is available from the Department, and certi- fies that the school bus meets all safety standards in 13 A.A.C. 13, and NFPA 52.

G.      If it is necessary to condemn a natural-gas pressure vessel, the owner shall:

1.        Return the condemned natural-gas pressure vessel to its manufacturer; and

2.        Obtain a certificate from the manufacturer that states ownership of the natural-gas pressure vessel is transferred from the owner to the manufacturer.

H.      An owner shall maintain each completed Compressed Natural Gas Safety Inspection Form in a separate file for each school bus for the service life of the school bus. If a school bus is transferred from one owner to another, the first owner shall transfer the completed inspection forms to the second owner.

I.        An owner shall make the inspection forms maintained under subsection (H) available for review by the Department.

Historical Note

New Section adopted by final rulemaking at 6 A.A.R. 4115, effective October 3, 2000 (Supp. 00-4). New Sec- tion R13-13-202 recodified from R17-9-202 with Section cross-references revised, at 20 A.A.R. 2083, effective July 25, 2014 (Supp. 14-3).