Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activities, Revisions to Operator Identification (OPID) Assignment Request and Operator Registry Notification, 18118-18119 [2014-07075]

Agencies

• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 61 (Monday, March 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18118-18119]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07075]



[[Page 18118]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2014-0018]


Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activities, Revisions to 
Operator Identification (OPID) Assignment Request and Operator Registry 
Notification

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) invites 
comments on its intention to revise two forms, PHMSA F 1000.1--OPID 
Assignment Request and PHMSA F 1000.2--Operator Registry Notification, 
and its intention to request approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for revised information collection burdens.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 30, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in the following ways:
    E-Gov Web site: https://www.regulations.gov. This site allows the 
public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice issued by any 
agency.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation 
(DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the ground level of DOT, West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. 
and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: Identify the docket number, PHMSA-2014-0018, at the 
beginning of your comments. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided. You should know that anyone is able to 
search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our 
dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). Therefore, you may want to review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000, (65 FR 19477) or visit https://www.regulations.gov 
before submitting any such comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket or to read background documents or 
comments, go to https://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-
140 on the ground level of DOT, West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. If you wish to receive confirmation of 
receipt of your written comments, please include a self-addressed, 
stamped postcard with the following statement: ``Comments on: PHMSA-
2014-0018.'' The Docket Clerk will date stamp the postcard prior to 
returning it to you via the U.S. mail. Please note that due to delays 
in the delivery of U.S. mail to Federal offices in Washington, DC, we 
recommend that persons consider an alternative method (internet, fax, 
or professional delivery service) of submitting comments to the docket 
and ensuring their timely receipt at DOT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Dow by telephone at 202-366-
1246, by email at Angela.Dow@dot.gov, by fax at 202-366-4566, or by 
mail at DOT, PHMSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., PHP-30, Washington, DC 
20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Section 1320.8(d), Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 
requires PHMSA to provide interested members of the public and affected 
agencies an opportunity to comment on information collection and 
recordkeeping requests. This notice identifies a revised information 
collection request that PHMSA will be submitting to OMB for approval. 
The information collected from OPID Assignment Request forms and 
Operator Registry Notification forms is an important tool for 
identifying new operators and changes to existing pipeline systems as 
set forth in 49 CFR 191.22 and 195.64.

A. Proposed Changes to the OPID Request Form

    PHMSA is proposing to revise the OPID Assignment Request Form 
(PHMSA F 1000.1) to:
    (1) Align the gas distribution and gas transmission commodity 
choices with those found on the annual and incident reports. Consistent 
commodity categories across all report forms would enhance PHMSA and 
our state partners' understanding of gas pipeline facilities.
    (2) Modify the list for types of gas distribution operators to 
reflect the ownership structure of the operator. The current list is a 
mix of ownership structure and commodity. Commodity values are entered 
elsewhere on the form. This change would allow PHMSA and our state 
partners to better determine ownership structure without commodity data 
mixed in to ensure regulatory efforts are directed to the proper 
entities.
    (3) Collect the miles of pipe and facility descriptions for each 
state. PHMSA and our state partners would gain a better understanding 
of the new operators' pipeline facilities through this state-by-state 
reporting.
    (4) Eliminate liquefied natural gas (LNG) plans and procedures as a 
separate safety program type. LNG plans and procedures are equivalent 
to the operating, maintenance, and emergencies program type. The 
pipeline system types (i.e., LNG, gas distribution, hazardous liquid, 
etc.) are collected elsewhere on the form. This change would remove a 
redundancy from this form.
    (5) Collect business cell phone numbers for contacts in addition to 
office phone numbers. Having both phone numbers would enhance the 
ability of PHMSA and our state partners to communicate with new 
operators.
    Several changes are proposed for the instructions to enable the 
changes listed above, provide additional clarity, and reflect that the 
validation process has ended. These changes would allow operators to 
complete the form quickly and accurately.

B. Proposed Changes to the Operator Registry Notification

    PHMSA is proposing to revise the Operator Registry Notification 
Form (PHMSA F 1000.2) to:
    (1) Remove and revise instructions regarding pipeline safety 
program information submissions at several locations in the form and 
instructions. For example, over the past year, PHMSA has found many 
operators erroneously submitted Type C notifications based on these 
confusing instructions. These revisions would help operators avoid 
submitting unnecessary notifications that must later be retracted.
    (2) Reduce the number of notification types and the text describing 
each type to enhance clarity. The current form provides a type for each 
regulatory requirement for notification submission. Instead of 
selecting one of three types for gas or liquid construction, we are 
proposing a single type. Details about the construction project are 
collected in Step 3 of the form. This would reduce

[[Page 18119]]

operator confusion about which notification type should be submitted 
and eliminate a needless distinction in PHMSA's data.
    (3) Require Type B notifications to indicate whether the operator 
is assuming or ceasing operatorship of pipeline facilities. PHMSA has 
to rely on the ``reason for change'' text field to determine which 
applies to the Type B notifications submitted to date. In some cases, 
the text field does not explain the type of change. This change would 
require operators to submit the information needed by PHMSA to process 
the operator's notification properly.
    (4) Require separate notifications for an acquisition and a 
divestiture. Only one set of gas distribution pipeline facilities can 
be reported in Step 3 of the current form. If an operator were to 
select both acquisition and divestiture in Step 2, we would not know 
which gas distribution pipeline facilities were acquired and which were 
divested. In Step 3, gas gathering, gas transmission, and hazardous 
liquid pipeline facilities can be reported as acquired or divested. By 
restricting each notification to either acquisition or divestiture, we 
can eliminate half of the data fields required for gas gathering, gas 
transmission, and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities in Step 3 and 
insure that we are interpreting an operator's notification accurately.
    (5) Allow an operator submitting a divestiture to request the 
deactivation of their OPID. If an operator no longer has regulated 
pipeline facilities, PHMSA deactivates the OPID. This informs our 
internal staff and our state partners that the OPID is no longer 
responsible for any regulated pipeline facilities. Under the current 
form and instructions, such operators are encouraged to contact PHMSA 
regarding deactivation. Including the ability to request deactivation 
in the notification would result in more efficient communication about 
operators with no remaining regulated pipeline facilities.
    (6) Align the gas distribution and gas transmission commodity 
choices with those found on the annual and incident reports. Consistent 
commodity categories across all report forms would enhance PHMSA's and 
our state partners' understanding of gas pipeline facilities.
    (7) Collect data about miles of pipeline separate from facilities, 
such as breakout tanks, storage fields, and compressor stations, in 
Step 3. This change is proposed in conjunction with reducing the number 
of construction notification types. Instead of selecting a type 
corresponding to facilities, the operator would select the ``generic'' 
construction type and provide data about the facilities in Step 3. 
Under the current form, two separate notifications would be required. 
This change would allow an operator to submit a single construction 
notification for both pipeline miles and facilities, making compliance 
easier for operators.
    (8) Require operators to provide data about pipeline facilities 
(Step 3) when they submit a change in entity operating (Type B) 
notification. Currently, an operator provides notification of a change 
in the entity operating but submits no information about the pipeline 
facilities affected by the change. By collecting pipeline facility 
information, PHMSA and our state partners would understand the scope of 
the operating entity change.
    (9) Collect the miles of pipe and facility descriptions for each 
state. PHMSA and our state partners would gain a better understanding 
of the pipeline facilities covered by a notification through this 
state-by-state reporting.
    Several changes are proposed for the instructions to enable the 
changes listed above and provide additional clarity.
    (10) Add a ``Guidance for Selecting the Appropriate Notification 
Type'' section to the instructions. The current instructions, both on 
the form and in the instruction document, have resulted in many 
operators submitting the incorrect type of notification. The new 
section summarizes the purpose of notification types and contains flow 
charts to guide operators to the correct type of notification based on 
the action they are taking. This new section would eliminate wasted 
time for operators submitting unnecessary notifications and needless 
PHMSA reviews.

II. Summary of Impacted Collection

    The following information is provided for this information 
collection: (1) Title of the information collection; (2) OMB control 
number; (3) Current expiration date; (4) Type of request; (5) Abstract 
of the information collection activity; (6) Description of affected 
public; (7) Estimate of total annual reporting and recordkeeping 
burden; and (8) Frequency of collection. PHMSA requests comments on the 
following information collection, including the proposed revisions 
addressed in this notice. Copies of the proposed forms associated with 
this information collection can be found in Docket Number PHMSA-2014-
0018.
    Title: National Registry of Pipeline and LNG Operators.
    OMB Control Number: 2137-0627.
    Current Expiration Date: 12/31/2014.
    Type of Request: Revision.
    Abstract: The National Registry of Pipeline and LNG Operators 
serves as the storehouse for the reporting requirements for an operator 
regulated or subject to reporting requirements under 49 CFR Parts 192, 
193, or 195. PHMSA is seeking to revise the forms associated with 
assigning and maintaining OPID information, the Operator Assignment 
Request Form (PHMSA F 1000.1) and the Operator Registry Notification 
Form (PHMSA F 1000.2).
    Affected Public: Natural gas, LNG, and liquid pipeline operators.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
    Total Annual Responses: 630.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 630.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Comments are invited on:
    (a) The need for the proposed collection of information for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information will have practical utility;
    (b) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 26, 2014.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014-07075 Filed 3-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P