Pipeline Safety: Public Meeting on Integrity Management of Gas Distribution Pipelines, 50438-50439 [05-16966]
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50438
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 165 / Friday, August 26, 2005 / Notices
Issued in Hawthorne, California on July 6,
2005.
George Aiken,
Acting Manager, Airports Division, AWP–600,
Western-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 05–16969 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–M
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[FTA Docket No. FTA–2005–22207]
Agency Information Collection Activity
Under OMB Review
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ACTION:
Notice of request for comments.
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announces that the Information
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below has been forwarded to the Office
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with a 60-day comment period soliciting
comments was published on June 8,
2005.
Comments must be submitted
before September 26, 2005. A comment
to OMB is most effective if OMB
receives it within 30 days of
publication.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sylvia L. Marion, Office of
Administration, Office of Management
Planning, (202) 366–6680.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Jkt 205001
collects grantee performance
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Issued: August 22, 2005.
Ann M. Linnertz,
Deputy Associate Administrator for
Administration.
[FR Doc. 05–16972 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–57–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA–04–19854]
Pipeline Safety: Public Meeting on
Integrity Management of Gas
Distribution Pipelines
Office of Pipeline Safety,
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice; public meeting.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA) is sponsoring a public
meeting on Enhancing Integrity
Management of Gas Distribution
Pipelines. The meeting will be held on
September 21, 2005, in Dallas, Texas. At
the meeting, PHMSA will discuss
actions that have been underway this
year to review the need for integrity
management requirements for gas
PO 00000
Frm 00148
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
distribution pipelines. The meeting also
will provide discussion on the use of
Excess Flow Valves in gas distribution
safety lines as a technique for mitigating
the consequences of service line
incidents, and will provide the public
an opportunity to give comments.
DATES: The public meeting will be held
on Wednesday, September 21, 2005,
from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting is open to all.
There is no cost to attend. The meeting
will be held at the Westin Park Central
Hotel, 12720 Merit Drive, Dallas, TX
75251. The phone number for
reservations is 1–972–851–2037 or 1–
800–Westin1.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Israni, Office of Pipeline Safety, at
202–366–4571; mike.israni@dot.gov,
regarding subject matter of this notice.
For information regarding meeting
logistics please contact Veronica
Garrison at 202–366–4996,
veronica.garrison@dot.gov.
This
meeting follows a previous public
meeting on this topic, held in
Washington, DC, on December 16, 2004.
This meeting will include briefings on
the activities of a Distribution Integrity
Management Phase 1 effort that is
ongoing through 2005. This program
involves a review of operating
experience, current requirements, and
practices. The Distribution Integrity
Management Program (DIMP) team will
develop information that PHMSA can
consider in any subsequent rulemaking
effort. The Phase 1 program involves
work/study groups comprised of
representatives of state pipeline safety
regulators, the gas distribution industry,
the public, and PHMSA. The
preliminary agenda for this meeting
includes briefings on the following
topics:
• The need for improvement;
• Distinctions among gas distribution
pipeline systems;
• Comments from the team of
executives (industry, state regulators,
and public) providing oversight of the
Phase 1 program;
• The plan and process of the Phase
1 program; (including use of EFV as a
technique for mitigating the
consequences of service line incidents.)
• Major issues and approaches,
including preliminary Phase 1
conclusions;
• Issues and cautions that must be
considered in developing distribution
integrity management requirements; and
• The views of industry and other
stakeholders.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\26AUN1.SGM
26AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 165 / Friday, August 26, 2005 / Notices
Need for Improvement
Pipeline accidents with significant
consequences gathered attention in
recent years and prompted pipeline
safety program changes. Integrity
management rules were promulgated for
hazardous liquid pipelines (65 FR
75378; December 1, 2000) and for gas
transmission pipelines (68 FR 69778;
December 15, 2003). In testimony before
the Congress on July 20, 2004, the Office
of the Inspector General (OIG) reported
that the number of incidents reported on
distribution systems has consistently
exceeded that on transmission systems.
Also, the number of fatalities and
injuries reported on distribution
systems has consistently been much
higher than for transmission systems.
The prevalence of incidents,
particularly those with consequences to
people, underscores the need for
regulators and stakeholders to pay
additional attention to distribution
pipeline integrity management. PHMSA
agrees that safety issues posed by gas
distribution pipelines need to be
addressed through appropriate integrity
management initiatives.
Differences in Gas Distribution Pipeline
Systems
A plan for assuring integrity of gas
distribution pipelines must consider the
differences between transmission
pipeline systems and distribution
pipeline systems. Ensuring the integrity
of distribution pipeline systems is
different from doing so for transmission
pipelines because:
• Most pipe in distribution pipeline
systems is small diameter and operates
at low pressure. Transmission pipelines
are generally large diameter and high
pressure.
• Distribution pipeline systems are a
more complex network, with frequent
branching and interconnections.
Transmission pipelines generally run
for many miles without such
connections.
• Distribution pipeline systems
include a range of materials, including
a significant amount of plastic pipe.
Transmission pipelines are generally
constructed of steel.
• Distribution pipelines are usually
difficult to take out of service for
inspection without interrupting gas
service to customers. Transmission
pipelines often include loop lines and
bypasses that allow individual sections
of pipe to be removed from service
temporarily.
• Distribution pipeline failures tend
to occur as leaks. Gas can migrate
underground, accumulating in areas
remote from the leak so that fires and
VerDate jul<14>2003
16:18 Aug 25, 2005
Jkt 205001
explosions occur away from the
pipeline. Transmission pipelines tend to
fail by rupture because of their high
operating pressure. The fire and
explosions on transmission lines occur
on the pipeline.
• Distribution pipeline systems tend
to be local, intrastate systems, which
state regulators are responsible for
regulating. A greater proportion of
transmission pipelines are interstate
systems, and Federal regulators play a
much larger role regulating them.
Developing an Approach to Gas
Distribution Integrity Management
Expanding integrity management for
distribution systems beyond currently
required practices requires a thorough
understanding of costs and benefits.
Following the previous public meeting,
PHMSA has worked with a number of
groups comprised of state pipeline
regulators, pipeline operators, and
representatives of the public to conduct
analyses and evaluations in a number of
areas that must be considered in
developing any distribution integrity
management requirements. These
meetings were announced by a Federal
Register notice on March 29, 2005 (70
FR 15988) and subsequent
announcements on a Web site
established specifically for this effort.
The areas considered include:
• Identifying the principal threats to
the integrity of distribution pipelines;
• Identifying requirements and
practices that currently exist at the State
and Federal levels that support
management of these threats to integrity;
• Determining whether current
requirements are written effectively to
create opportunities and incentives for
operators to use existing and developing
technologies to support management of
the integrity of distribution systems;
• Identifying whether opportunities
exist for expedited development of new
technologies supporting the assessment
of gas distribution systems;
• Understanding practices beyond
current requirements that are being used
by operators and what the results are;
• Understanding whether there are
requirements or approaches used by one
or more States which are not included
in Federal requirements but which have
proven effective in managing the
integrity of gas distribution systems;
and,
• Identifying whether the opportunity
exists to codify currently demonstrated
effective integrity management practices
in a national consensus standard.
The analyses and evaluations
conducted by the work/study groups
comprise Phase 1 of the PHMSA plan to
develop integrity management
PO 00000
Frm 00149
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
50439
requirements. Phase 1 is expected to be
completed by the end of 2005. The
Phase 1 results will support PHMSA
and state regulators in making decisions
regarding the nature of requirements
that may be needed. Achieving
increased integrity of distribution
pipeline systems may involve Federal
and/or State rulemaking, development
of guidance for adoption by States,
publication and promotion of best
practices or national consensus
standards, or some combination of these
or other actions. PHMSA will use the
results of Phase 1 to develop new
requirements as part of Phase 2 of the
PHMSA plan, which PHMSA expects to
begin in early 2006.
During this meeting, persons involved
in the Phase 1 program will share the
scope of their ongoing work and their
preliminary conclusions with the
public. Representatives of various
stakeholder groups will also share their
perspective with attendees. PHMSA will
collect comments and suggestions from
members of the public attending this
meeting to further inform the Phase 2
efforts to develop appropriate
requirements.
Interested parties may find additional
information regarding the previous
public meeting in the docket (https://
dms.dot.gov), then click on Simple
Search and type in Docket No. 19854.
Visitors may access the Distribution
Integrity Management Web site through
the OPS home page (https://ops.dot.gov)
by selecting ‘‘Integrity Management’’
and then ‘‘Distribution Integrity
Management’’.
Issued in Washington, DC, on August 22,
2005.
Theodore L. Willke,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline
Safety.
[FR Doc. 05–16966 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–60–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[STB Finance Docket No. 34743]
BNSF Railway Company—Temporary
Trackage Rights Exemption—Union
Pacific Railroad Company
Union Pacific Railroad Company
(UP), pursuant to a written trackage
rights agreement entered into between
UP and the BNSF Railway Company
(BNSF), has agreed to grant temporary
overhead trackage rights to BNSF over
UP’s rail line between Valley Junction,
IL, UP milepost 0.00, and Rockview
Junction, MO, UP milepost 131.3, a
distance of approximately 131.3 miles.
E:\FR\FM\26AUN1.SGM
26AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 165 (Friday, August 26, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50438-50439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16966]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-04-19854]
Pipeline Safety: Public Meeting on Integrity Management of Gas
Distribution Pipelines
AGENCY: Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice; public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA) is sponsoring a public meeting on Enhancing Integrity
Management of Gas Distribution Pipelines. The meeting will be held on
September 21, 2005, in Dallas, Texas. At the meeting, PHMSA will
discuss actions that have been underway this year to review the need
for integrity management requirements for gas distribution pipelines.
The meeting also will provide discussion on the use of Excess Flow
Valves in gas distribution safety lines as a technique for mitigating
the consequences of service line incidents, and will provide the public
an opportunity to give comments.
DATES: The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 21,
2005, from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting is open to all. There is no cost to attend. The
meeting will be held at the Westin Park Central Hotel, 12720 Merit
Drive, Dallas, TX 75251. The phone number for reservations is 1-972-
851-2037 or 1-800-Westin1.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Israni, Office of Pipeline
Safety, at 202-366-4571; mike.israni@dot.gov, regarding subject matter
of this notice. For information regarding meeting logistics please
contact Veronica Garrison at 202-366-4996, veronica.garrison@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This meeting follows a previous public
meeting on this topic, held in Washington, DC, on December 16, 2004.
This meeting will include briefings on the activities of a Distribution
Integrity Management Phase 1 effort that is ongoing through 2005. This
program involves a review of operating experience, current
requirements, and practices. The Distribution Integrity Management
Program (DIMP) team will develop information that PHMSA can consider in
any subsequent rulemaking effort. The Phase 1 program involves work/
study groups comprised of representatives of state pipeline safety
regulators, the gas distribution industry, the public, and PHMSA. The
preliminary agenda for this meeting includes briefings on the following
topics:
The need for improvement;
Distinctions among gas distribution pipeline systems;
Comments from the team of executives (industry, state
regulators, and public) providing oversight of the Phase 1 program;
The plan and process of the Phase 1 program; (including
use of EFV as a technique for mitigating the consequences of service
line incidents.)
Major issues and approaches, including preliminary Phase 1
conclusions;
Issues and cautions that must be considered in developing
distribution integrity management requirements; and
The views of industry and other stakeholders.
[[Page 50439]]
Need for Improvement
Pipeline accidents with significant consequences gathered attention
in recent years and prompted pipeline safety program changes. Integrity
management rules were promulgated for hazardous liquid pipelines (65 FR
75378; December 1, 2000) and for gas transmission pipelines (68 FR
69778; December 15, 2003). In testimony before the Congress on July 20,
2004, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reported that the
number of incidents reported on distribution systems has consistently
exceeded that on transmission systems. Also, the number of fatalities
and injuries reported on distribution systems has consistently been
much higher than for transmission systems. The prevalence of incidents,
particularly those with consequences to people, underscores the need
for regulators and stakeholders to pay additional attention to
distribution pipeline integrity management. PHMSA agrees that safety
issues posed by gas distribution pipelines need to be addressed through
appropriate integrity management initiatives.
Differences in Gas Distribution Pipeline Systems
A plan for assuring integrity of gas distribution pipelines must
consider the differences between transmission pipeline systems and
distribution pipeline systems. Ensuring the integrity of distribution
pipeline systems is different from doing so for transmission pipelines
because:
Most pipe in distribution pipeline systems is small
diameter and operates at low pressure. Transmission pipelines are
generally large diameter and high pressure.
Distribution pipeline systems are a more complex network,
with frequent branching and interconnections. Transmission pipelines
generally run for many miles without such connections.
Distribution pipeline systems include a range of
materials, including a significant amount of plastic pipe. Transmission
pipelines are generally constructed of steel.
Distribution pipelines are usually difficult to take out
of service for inspection without interrupting gas service to
customers. Transmission pipelines often include loop lines and bypasses
that allow individual sections of pipe to be removed from service
temporarily.
Distribution pipeline failures tend to occur as leaks. Gas
can migrate underground, accumulating in areas remote from the leak so
that fires and explosions occur away from the pipeline. Transmission
pipelines tend to fail by rupture because of their high operating
pressure. The fire and explosions on transmission lines occur on the
pipeline.
Distribution pipeline systems tend to be local, intrastate
systems, which state regulators are responsible for regulating. A
greater proportion of transmission pipelines are interstate systems,
and Federal regulators play a much larger role regulating them.
Developing an Approach to Gas Distribution Integrity Management
Expanding integrity management for distribution systems beyond
currently required practices requires a thorough understanding of costs
and benefits. Following the previous public meeting, PHMSA has worked
with a number of groups comprised of state pipeline regulators,
pipeline operators, and representatives of the public to conduct
analyses and evaluations in a number of areas that must be considered
in developing any distribution integrity management requirements. These
meetings were announced by a Federal Register notice on March 29, 2005
(70 FR 15988) and subsequent announcements on a Web site established
specifically for this effort. The areas considered include:
Identifying the principal threats to the integrity of
distribution pipelines;
Identifying requirements and practices that currently
exist at the State and Federal levels that support management of these
threats to integrity;
Determining whether current requirements are written
effectively to create opportunities and incentives for operators to use
existing and developing technologies to support management of the
integrity of distribution systems;
Identifying whether opportunities exist for expedited
development of new technologies supporting the assessment of gas
distribution systems;
Understanding practices beyond current requirements that
are being used by operators and what the results are;
Understanding whether there are requirements or approaches
used by one or more States which are not included in Federal
requirements but which have proven effective in managing the integrity
of gas distribution systems; and,
Identifying whether the opportunity exists to codify
currently demonstrated effective integrity management practices in a
national consensus standard.
The analyses and evaluations conducted by the work/study groups
comprise Phase 1 of the PHMSA plan to develop integrity management
requirements. Phase 1 is expected to be completed by the end of 2005.
The Phase 1 results will support PHMSA and state regulators in making
decisions regarding the nature of requirements that may be needed.
Achieving increased integrity of distribution pipeline systems may
involve Federal and/or State rulemaking, development of guidance for
adoption by States, publication and promotion of best practices or
national consensus standards, or some combination of these or other
actions. PHMSA will use the results of Phase 1 to develop new
requirements as part of Phase 2 of the PHMSA plan, which PHMSA expects
to begin in early 2006.
During this meeting, persons involved in the Phase 1 program will
share the scope of their ongoing work and their preliminary conclusions
with the public. Representatives of various stakeholder groups will
also share their perspective with attendees. PHMSA will collect
comments and suggestions from members of the public attending this
meeting to further inform the Phase 2 efforts to develop appropriate
requirements.
Interested parties may find additional information regarding the
previous public meeting in the docket (https://dms.dot.gov), then click
on Simple Search and type in Docket No. 19854.
Visitors may access the Distribution Integrity Management Web site
through the OPS home page (https://ops.dot.gov) by selecting ``Integrity
Management'' and then ``Distribution Integrity Management''.
Issued in Washington, DC, on August 22, 2005.
Theodore L. Willke,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-16966 Filed 8-25-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P
