Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activities, 13700-13703 [2020-04734]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 46 / Monday, March 9, 2020 / Notices
Avenue SE, Room W23–453,
Washington, DC 20590. Telephone 202–
366–9309, Email Bianca.carr@dot.gov.
As
described by the applicant the intended
service of the vessel FREEDOM is:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
—Intended Commercial Use of Vessel:
‘‘Occasional/limited recreational
week-long charters with my family as
crew during school breaks to help
cover costs of maintaining the vessel.’’
—Geographic Region Including Base of
Operations: ‘‘Florida’’ (Base of
Operations: Key West, FL)
—Vessel Length and Type: 55′ motor
vessel
The complete application is available
for review identified in the DOT docket
as MARAD–2020–0048 at https://
www.regulations.gov. Interested parties
may comment on the effect this action
may have on U.S. vessel builders or
businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag
vessels. If MARAD determines, in
accordance with 46 U.S.C. 12121 and
MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part
388, that the issuance of the waiver will
have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.vessel builder or a business that uses
U.S.-flag vessels in that business, a
waiver will not be granted. Comments
should refer to the vessel name, state the
commenter’s interest in the waiver
application, and address the waiver
criteria given in section 388.4 of
MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part
388.
Public Participation
How do I submit comments?
Please submit your comments,
including the attachments, following the
instructions provided under the above
heading entitled ADDRESSES. Be advised
that it may take a few hours or even
days for your comment to be reflected
on the docket. In addition, your
comments must be written in English.
We encourage you to provide concise
comments and you may attach
additional documents as necessary.
There is no limit on the length of the
attachments.
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Where do I go to read public comments,
and find supporting information?
Go to the docket online at https://
www.regulations.gov, keyword search
MARAD–2020–0048 or visit the Docket
Management Facility (see ADDRESSES for
hours of operation). We recommend that
you periodically check the Docket for
new submissions and supporting
material.
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Will my comments be made available to
the public?
Yes. Be aware that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, will be made
publicly available.
May I submit comments confidentially?
If you wish to submit comments
under a claim of confidentiality, you
should submit three copies of your
complete submission, including the
information you claim to be confidential
business information, to the Department
of Transportation, Maritime
Administration, Office of Legislation
and Regulations, MAR–225, W24–220,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover
letter setting forth with specificity the
basis for any such claim and, if possible,
a summary of your submission that can
be made available to the public.
Privacy Act
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c),
DOT solicits comments from the public
to better inform its rulemaking process.
DOT posts these comments, without
edit, to www.regulations.gov, as
described in the system of records
notice, DOT/ALL–14 FDMS, accessible
through www.dot.gov/privacy. To
facilitate comment tracking and
response, we encourage commenters to
provide their name, or the name of their
organization; however, submission of
names is completely optional. Whether
or not commenters identify themselves,
all timely comments will be fully
considered. If you wish to provide
comments containing proprietary or
confidential information, please contact
the agency for alternate submission
instructions.
(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93(a), 46 U.S.C. 55103,
46 U.S.C. 12121)
Dated: March 3, 2020.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020–04683 Filed 3–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA–2019–0020; Notice 1]
FCA US, LLC, Receipt of Petition for
Decision of Inconsequential
Noncompliance
Correction
In notice document 2020–04106,
appearing on pages 12059–12062 in the
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issue of Friday, February 28, 2020, make
the following correction:
On page 12059, in the third column,
on the tenth line from the top,
‘‘February 28, 2020’’ is corrected to read
‘‘March 30, 2020.’’
[FR Doc. C1–2020–04106 Filed 3–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1301–00–D
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA–2019–0141]
Pipeline Safety: Information Collection
Activities
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
PHMSA invites comments on proposed
revisions to the hazardous liquid
accident report form and its associated
instructions. Revisions are being
proposed to PHMSA F 7000–1 Accident
Report—Hazardous Liquid Pipeline
Systems under OMB Control No. 2137–
0047.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before May 8,
2020.
SUMMARY:
Comments may be
submitted in the following ways:
E-Gov website: 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–2019–0141 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
ADDRESSES:
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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–
2019–0141.’’ 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.
Confidential Business Information
Confidential Business Information
(CBI) is commercial or financial
information that is both customarily and
actually treated as private by its owner.
Under the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt
from public disclosure. If your
comments responsive to this notice
contain commercial or financial
information that is customarily treated
as private, that you actually treat as
private, and that is relevant or
responsive to this notice, it is important
that you clearly designate the submitted
comments as CBI. Pursuant to 49 CFR
190.343, you may ask PHMSA to give
confidential treatment to information
you give to the agency by taking the
following steps: (1) Mark each page of
the original document submission
containing CBI as ‘‘Confidential’’; (2)
send PHMSA, along with the original
document, a second copy of the original
document with the CBI deleted; and (3)
explain why the information you are
submitting is CBI. Unless you are
notified otherwise, PHMSA will treat
such marked submissions as
confidential under the FOIA, and they
will not be placed in the public docket
of this notice. Submissions containing
CBI should be sent to Angela Hill, DOT,
PHMSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
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PHP–30, Washington, DC 20590–0001.
Any commentary PHMSA receives that
is not specifically designated as CBI will
be placed in the public docket for this
matter.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information, contact Angela Hill
by telephone at 202–366–1246, by email
at Angela.Hill@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, requires PHMSA to
provide interested members of the
public and affected entities an
opportunity to comment on information
collection and recordkeeping requests.
This notice identifies changes to
information collections that PHMSA
will be submitting to OMB.
PHMSA F 7000–1 Accident Report—
Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems
PHMSA proposes to reorganize the
existing questions and add more
detailed questions about accident
response, accident consequences,
operating conditions, cause, and
contributing factors.
1. Change Form Name
PHMSA proposes changing the name
of the form to ‘‘Accident Report—
Hazardous Liquid and Carbon Dioxide
Systems’’. This change would more
accurately describe the types of
pipelines for which this form should be
used.
2. Time Zone and Daylight Savings
PHMSA proposes adding the time
zone and daylight savings status at the
location and time of the accident. This
data would help PHMSA correlate our
accident investigation findings with the
form.
3. Operational Status
PHMSA proposes collecting the
operational status of the pipeline system
at the time the operator identified the
failure. On the current form, there is an
assumption that the pipeline was in
service at the time the operator
identified the failure, but this is often
not the case. This change would help
stakeholders understand the status of
the pipeline and clarify the pipeline
shutdown data.
4. Part A Reorganization and Detailed
Questions About Accident Response
PHMSA proposes reorganizing
existing questions to help detail the
sequence of operator actions and
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interactions as the accident proceeds.
For example, how the operator first
learned of the pipeline failure is
currently collected in part E. PHMSA
proposes to move this item to Part A.
PHMSA also proposes adding new items
to build a complete timeline including
interactions with emergency responders,
spill response resources, and details
about ignition. This data would help
stakeholders develop a more thorough
understanding of the accident.
5. Multiple National Response Center
Reports
During response to accidents, pipeline
operators often submit multiple reports
to the National Response Center (NRC).
In these instances, PHMSA proposes to
collect each NRC report number. This
change would help PHMSA correlate
our accident investigation findings with
the form.
6. Flow Control and Valve Closures
PHMSA proposes adding questions
about initial actions the operator took to
control the flow of products to the
failure location. When valves are used,
PHMSA proposes collecting the date
and time of the valve closure. This
change would implement a Government
Accountability Office (GAO)
recommendation from GAO–13–168
‘‘Pipeline Safety: Better Data and
Guidance needed to Improve Pipeline
Operator Accident Response.’’ This
change would allow stakeholders to
understand the actions taken by the
operator to control the flow of products
during accident response and collect
data about the elapsed time to valve
closure.
7. Area of Accident
PHMSA proposes adding ‘‘exposed
due to loss of cover’’ as a selection for
the area of accident when
‘‘Underground’’ is selected. For
pipelines installed underground and
eventually exposed, the current form is
not clear about whether ‘‘Underground’’
or ‘‘Aboveground’’ should be selected.
Adding ‘‘Exposed due to loss of cover’’
as an underground option clarifies how
to report the accident. This change
would improve the consistency of
reports.
8. Date of Water Crossing Evaluation
PHMSA proposes adding a question
to collect the date of the most recent
evaluation of the water crossing. These
formal evaluations can provide
information critical to protecting the
integrity of water crossings. This change
would provide stakeholders with
visibility of this critical information.
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9. Outer Continental Shelf Regions
PHMSA proposes collecting the Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) region when an
accident occurs on the OCS. This
change would provide stakeholders
with a more precise location of the
accident.
10. Item Involved and Age of Failed
Item
PHMSA proposes modifying the
selections for the item that failed. These
modifications would reduce the number
of times ‘‘Other’’ is selected and allow
a more meaningful analysis of the data.
PHMSA proposes collecting both the
date of manufacture and the date of
installation for the failed item. This
would allow stakeholders to understand
both the age of the failed item and how
long it had been in service.
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11. Details About Consequences
Departmental guidelines for
determining the benefit of proposed
regulations (https://
www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.dev/
files/docs/VSL%20Guidance
%202013.pdf) include a table of relative
values based on the severity of injury.
PHMSA’s forms currently collect the
number of injured persons requiring inpatient overnight hospitalization.
PHMSA proposes adding two less
severe categories to the forms; injuries
treated in a medical facility and injuries
treated on-site. This data would enable
a more thorough determination of the
benefit of proposed regulations.
PHMSA proposes to collect
information on the volume of product
consumed by fire. PHMSA already
collects data about the volume of
product released and whether ignition
occurred. However, PHMSA cannot
identify the volume of product burned.
This data would allow PHMSA to more
accurately determine the social cost of
carbon and benefit of future proposed
regulations.
PHMSA proposes to collect data on
the number of buildings affected by the
accident. On the current forms, the
property damage values do not include
any details about the type of property
damaged. This data would provide more
details about the consequences of the
accident and enable a more thorough
determination of the benefit of future
proposed regulations.
12. Establishing Maximum Pressure and
Flow Reversals
PHMSA proposes adding the method
used by the operator to establish the
maximum pressure for the pipeline
system and the date the maximum
pressure was established. Operators
would choose from the six methods
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listed in 49 CFR 195.406. While each of
the methods for establishing the
maximum pressure meet the regulatory
requirement, safety factors may differ
between the methods. This data would
help stakeholders identify the pipeline’s
maximum pressure methods with the
specific safety factor.
PHMSA also proposes adding a
question about flow reversals. This data
would help stakeholders have a better
understanding of whether a flow
reversal may have impacted the
maximum pressure.
13. Length of Segment Isolated
PHMSA proposes modifying the
question about the length of pipeline
isolated during accident response. In the
current form, an assumption is made
that valve closures will always be used
to initially control flow to the failure
location. This change would clarify the
length to be reported when valves are
not used to initially control flow to the
failure location.
14. External Corrosion and Stray
Current
PHMSA proposes collecting
additional details when stray current is
the cause of external corrosion. PHMSA
also proposes to clarify the conditions
under which external corrosion
cathodic protection is expected. This
data would help stakeholders better
understand the cause of external
corrosion.
15. Natural Force Damage Additional
Sub-Cause
PHMSA proposes adding tree root
damage as a sub-cause in the natural
force damage cause category. This
addition would reduce the number of
accidents reported with a cause of
‘‘Other.’’
16. Excavation Details For All
Excavation Damage
In the current form, when a third
party causes the excavation damage,
PHMSA collects details about the
excavation work. PHMSA proposes
collecting details about the excavation
work when the cause of the damage is
first, second, or third party. When
pipeline operator employees are
excavating, and damage their own
pipeline, the damage is considered first
party. When an excavator is working
under contract for the pipeline operator
and damages the operator’s pipeline,
they are considered a second party. First
and second party excavation details
would allow stakeholders to understand
the type of excavation work being
performed by any party causing the
excavation damage.
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The Common Ground Alliance
recently changed the data structure for
its Damage Information Reporting Tool
(DIRT). PHMSA proposes updating the
PHMSA accident report to match the
revised DIRT data structure.
17. State Damage Prevention Law
Exemptions
PHMSA proposes adding information
about exemptions from state damage
prevention laws when the cause of the
accident is excavation damage. This
data would help stakeholders identify
states in which damage prevention law
exemptions may be associated with
more frequent excavation damage to
pipelines.
18. Material Failure Cause Changes
When material failure of a pipe or
weld causes the accident, a sub-cause
must be chosen. Errors in the design of
pipeline facilities cause some accidents,
but currently, design is not included in
any sub-cause. PHMSA proposes adding
design to the ‘‘Construction-,
Installation-, or Fabrication-related’’
sub-cause. This change would reduce
the number of reports with a cause of
‘‘Other.’’
PHMSA proposes adding ‘‘Hard Spot’’
as another environmental cracking
option. This is another type of
environmental cracking that should be
available for selection. This change
would reduce the number of reports
with a cause of ‘‘Other.’’
PHMSA proposes adding a question
to collect the post-construction pressure
test value. When the pipe or a weld
fails, the value of the post-construction
pressure test is important to
determining if the cause of the failure
might have been present since original
construction. This change would
provide additional data to determine the
cause of the pipe or weld failure.
19. Additional Integrity Inspection Data
PHMSA proposes collecting two sets
of in-line inspection (ILI) results. Under
PHMSA regulations, operators conduct
multiple rounds of integrity inspections.
This change would provide a history of
ILIs rather than just the most recent. The
additional inspection data may provide
insights into the effectiveness of the
various types of ILIs.
Also, in the current form, the same set
of integrity inspection questions appear
in four different cause sections. Only
one cause can be selected so three sets
of these questions are redundant.
PHMSA proposes having the questions
appear once. PHMSA would also adjust
existing reports to have the questions
appear only once. This change would
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simplify the form by reducing the
number of distinct data fields.
PHMSA proposes collecting the type
of direct assessment when this
inspection method has been
implemented. The additional inspection
data may provide insights about the
effectiveness of the various types of
direct assessments.
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20. Contributing Factors
Pipeline operators currently select
only one cause on the form. Factors
contributing to, but not causing, an
accident are often relevant to preventing
future accidents. PHMSA proposes
collecting data about contributing
factors. The proposal is similar to a
recommendation made by the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in
a January 2015 safety study report
which can be viewed at https://
www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/
Documents/SS1501.pdf. Collection of
information on contributing factors in
addition to the apparent cause would
help stakeholders develop a more
thorough understanding of the accident
and ways to prevent future accidents.
II. Summary of Impacted Collection
Section 1320.8(d), Title 5, Code of
Federal Regulations, 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 an information
collection request that PHMSA will
submit to OMB for renewal. PHMSA
expects many of the new data elements
are already known by the operator and
no report requires the completion of all
fields on the forms. PHMSA has
estimated the burdens below by adding
20% to the previous burdens—12 hours
instead of 10.
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 will
request a three-year term of approval for
this information collection activity.
PHMSA requests comments on the
following information:
1. Title: Transportation of Hazardous
Liquids by Pipeline: Recordkeeping and
Accident Reporting.
OMB Control Number: 2137–0047.
Current Expiration Date: 01/31/2023.
Type of Request: Revision.
Abstract: This information collection
covers recordkeeping and accident
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reporting by hazardous liquid pipeline
operators who are subject to 49 CFR part
195. Section 195.50 specifies the
definition of an ‘‘accident’’ that must be
reported to PHMSA and the reporting
criteria for submitting a Hazardous
Liquid Accident Report (form PHMSA F
7000–1) is detailed in § 195.54. PHMSA
is proposing to revise the form and
instructions for PHMSA F 7000–1 for
editorial and clarification purposes.
Affected Public: Hazardous liquid
pipeline operators.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping
Burden:
Annual Responses: 1,232.
Annual Burden Hours: 53,229.
Comments are invited on:
(a) The need for the renewal and
revision of these collections 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.
Authority: Authority: The Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35,
as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 3,
2020, under authority delegated in 49 CFR
1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2020–04734 Filed 3–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–60–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA–2008–0213]
Pipeline Safety: Request for Special
Permit; Empire Pipeline, Inc.
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
PHMSA is publishing this
notice to solicit public comment on a
request from Empire Pipeline, Inc., to
renew a previously issued special
permit. The special permit renewal
SUMMARY:
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13703
request is seeking continued relief from
compliance with certain requirements
in the Federal pipeline safety
regulations. At the conclusion of the 30day comment period, PHMSA will
review the comments received from this
notice as part of its evaluation to grant
or deny the special permit renewal
request.
Submit any comments regarding
this special permit request by April 8,
2020.
ADDRESSES: Comments should reference
the docket number for this special
permit request and may be submitted in
the following ways:
• E-Gov Website: https://
www.Regulations.gov. This site allows
the public to entercomments on any
Federal Register notice issued by any
agency.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Management System:
U.S. Department of Transportation,
Docket Operations, M–30, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: Docket Management
System: U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M–
30, West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9:00
a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
Instructions: You should identify the
docket number for the special permit
request you are commenting on at the
beginning of your comments. If you
submit your comments by mail, please
submit two (2) copies. To receive
confirmation that PHMSA has received
your comments, please include a selfaddressed stamped postcard. Internet
users may submit comments at https://
www.Regulations.gov.
Note: There is a privacy statement
published on https://
www.Regulations.gov. Comments,
including any personal information
provided, are posted without changes or
edits to https://www.Regulations.gov.
Confidential Business Information:
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
is commercial or financial information
that is both customarily and actually
treated as private by its owner. Under
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
(5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from
public disclosure. If your comments
responsive to this notice contain
commercial or financial information
that is customarily treated as private,
that you actually treat as private, and
that is relevant or responsive to this
notice, it is important that you clearly
designate the submitted comments as
DATES:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 46 (Monday, March 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13700-13703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04734]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0141]
Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activities
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, PHMSA
invites comments on proposed revisions to the hazardous liquid accident
report form and its associated instructions. Revisions are being
proposed to PHMSA F 7000-1 Accident Report--Hazardous Liquid Pipeline
Systems under OMB Control No. 2137-0047.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
May 8, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in the following ways:
E-Gov website: 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-2019-0141 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
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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-
2019-0141.'' 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.
Confidential Business Information
Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial
information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by
its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552),
CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments responsive to
this notice contain commercial or financial information that is
customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and
that is relevant or responsive to this notice, it is important that you
clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Pursuant to 49 CFR
190.343, you may ask PHMSA to give confidential treatment to
information you give to the agency by taking the following steps: (1)
Mark each page of the original document submission containing CBI as
``Confidential''; (2) send PHMSA, along with the original document, a
second copy of the original document with the CBI deleted; and (3)
explain why the information you are submitting is CBI. Unless you are
notified otherwise, PHMSA will treat such marked submissions as
confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public
docket of this notice. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to
Angela Hill, DOT, PHMSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, PHP-30, Washington,
DC 20590-0001. Any commentary PHMSA receives that is not specifically
designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this matter.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact
Angela Hill by telephone at 202-366-1246, by email at
[email protected], 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, requires
PHMSA to provide interested members of the public and affected entities
an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping
requests. This notice identifies changes to information collections
that PHMSA will be submitting to OMB.
PHMSA F 7000-1 Accident Report--Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems
PHMSA proposes to reorganize the existing questions and add more
detailed questions about accident response, accident consequences,
operating conditions, cause, and contributing factors.
1. Change Form Name
PHMSA proposes changing the name of the form to ``Accident Report--
Hazardous Liquid and Carbon Dioxide Systems''. This change would more
accurately describe the types of pipelines for which this form should
be used.
2. Time Zone and Daylight Savings
PHMSA proposes adding the time zone and daylight savings status at
the location and time of the accident. This data would help PHMSA
correlate our accident investigation findings with the form.
3. Operational Status
PHMSA proposes collecting the operational status of the pipeline
system at the time the operator identified the failure. On the current
form, there is an assumption that the pipeline was in service at the
time the operator identified the failure, but this is often not the
case. This change would help stakeholders understand the status of the
pipeline and clarify the pipeline shutdown data.
4. Part A Reorganization and Detailed Questions About Accident Response
PHMSA proposes reorganizing existing questions to help detail the
sequence of operator actions and interactions as the accident proceeds.
For example, how the operator first learned of the pipeline failure is
currently collected in part E. PHMSA proposes to move this item to Part
A. PHMSA also proposes adding new items to build a complete timeline
including interactions with emergency responders, spill response
resources, and details about ignition. This data would help
stakeholders develop a more thorough understanding of the accident.
5. Multiple National Response Center Reports
During response to accidents, pipeline operators often submit
multiple reports to the National Response Center (NRC). In these
instances, PHMSA proposes to collect each NRC report number. This
change would help PHMSA correlate our accident investigation findings
with the form.
6. Flow Control and Valve Closures
PHMSA proposes adding questions about initial actions the operator
took to control the flow of products to the failure location. When
valves are used, PHMSA proposes collecting the date and time of the
valve closure. This change would implement a Government Accountability
Office (GAO) recommendation from GAO-13-168 ``Pipeline Safety: Better
Data and Guidance needed to Improve Pipeline Operator Accident
Response.'' This change would allow stakeholders to understand the
actions taken by the operator to control the flow of products during
accident response and collect data about the elapsed time to valve
closure.
7. Area of Accident
PHMSA proposes adding ``exposed due to loss of cover'' as a
selection for the area of accident when ``Underground'' is selected.
For pipelines installed underground and eventually exposed, the current
form is not clear about whether ``Underground'' or ``Aboveground''
should be selected. Adding ``Exposed due to loss of cover'' as an
underground option clarifies how to report the accident. This change
would improve the consistency of reports.
8. Date of Water Crossing Evaluation
PHMSA proposes adding a question to collect the date of the most
recent evaluation of the water crossing. These formal evaluations can
provide information critical to protecting the integrity of water
crossings. This change would provide stakeholders with visibility of
this critical information.
[[Page 13702]]
9. Outer Continental Shelf Regions
PHMSA proposes collecting the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region
when an accident occurs on the OCS. This change would provide
stakeholders with a more precise location of the accident.
10. Item Involved and Age of Failed Item
PHMSA proposes modifying the selections for the item that failed.
These modifications would reduce the number of times ``Other'' is
selected and allow a more meaningful analysis of the data.
PHMSA proposes collecting both the date of manufacture and the date
of installation for the failed item. This would allow stakeholders to
understand both the age of the failed item and how long it had been in
service.
11. Details About Consequences
Departmental guidelines for determining the benefit of proposed
regulations (https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.dev/files/docs/VSL%20Guidance%202013.pdf) include a table of relative values based on
the severity of injury. PHMSA's forms currently collect the number of
injured persons requiring in-patient overnight hospitalization. PHMSA
proposes adding two less severe categories to the forms; injuries
treated in a medical facility and injuries treated on-site. This data
would enable a more thorough determination of the benefit of proposed
regulations.
PHMSA proposes to collect information on the volume of product
consumed by fire. PHMSA already collects data about the volume of
product released and whether ignition occurred. However, PHMSA cannot
identify the volume of product burned. This data would allow PHMSA to
more accurately determine the social cost of carbon and benefit of
future proposed regulations.
PHMSA proposes to collect data on the number of buildings affected
by the accident. On the current forms, the property damage values do
not include any details about the type of property damaged. This data
would provide more details about the consequences of the accident and
enable a more thorough determination of the benefit of future proposed
regulations.
12. Establishing Maximum Pressure and Flow Reversals
PHMSA proposes adding the method used by the operator to establish
the maximum pressure for the pipeline system and the date the maximum
pressure was established. Operators would choose from the six methods
listed in 49 CFR 195.406. While each of the methods for establishing
the maximum pressure meet the regulatory requirement, safety factors
may differ between the methods. This data would help stakeholders
identify the pipeline's maximum pressure methods with the specific
safety factor.
PHMSA also proposes adding a question about flow reversals. This
data would help stakeholders have a better understanding of whether a
flow reversal may have impacted the maximum pressure.
13. Length of Segment Isolated
PHMSA proposes modifying the question about the length of pipeline
isolated during accident response. In the current form, an assumption
is made that valve closures will always be used to initially control
flow to the failure location. This change would clarify the length to
be reported when valves are not used to initially control flow to the
failure location.
14. External Corrosion and Stray Current
PHMSA proposes collecting additional details when stray current is
the cause of external corrosion. PHMSA also proposes to clarify the
conditions under which external corrosion cathodic protection is
expected. This data would help stakeholders better understand the cause
of external corrosion.
15. Natural Force Damage Additional Sub-Cause
PHMSA proposes adding tree root damage as a sub-cause in the
natural force damage cause category. This addition would reduce the
number of accidents reported with a cause of ``Other.''
16. Excavation Details For All Excavation Damage
In the current form, when a third party causes the excavation
damage, PHMSA collects details about the excavation work. PHMSA
proposes collecting details about the excavation work when the cause of
the damage is first, second, or third party. When pipeline operator
employees are excavating, and damage their own pipeline, the damage is
considered first party. When an excavator is working under contract for
the pipeline operator and damages the operator's pipeline, they are
considered a second party. First and second party excavation details
would allow stakeholders to understand the type of excavation work
being performed by any party causing the excavation damage.
The Common Ground Alliance recently changed the data structure for
its Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT). PHMSA proposes updating
the PHMSA accident report to match the revised DIRT data structure.
17. State Damage Prevention Law Exemptions
PHMSA proposes adding information about exemptions from state
damage prevention laws when the cause of the accident is excavation
damage. This data would help stakeholders identify states in which
damage prevention law exemptions may be associated with more frequent
excavation damage to pipelines.
18. Material Failure Cause Changes
When material failure of a pipe or weld causes the accident, a sub-
cause must be chosen. Errors in the design of pipeline facilities cause
some accidents, but currently, design is not included in any sub-cause.
PHMSA proposes adding design to the ``Construction-, Installation-, or
Fabrication-related'' sub-cause. This change would reduce the number of
reports with a cause of ``Other.''
PHMSA proposes adding ``Hard Spot'' as another environmental
cracking option. This is another type of environmental cracking that
should be available for selection. This change would reduce the number
of reports with a cause of ``Other.''
PHMSA proposes adding a question to collect the post-construction
pressure test value. When the pipe or a weld fails, the value of the
post-construction pressure test is important to determining if the
cause of the failure might have been present since original
construction. This change would provide additional data to determine
the cause of the pipe or weld failure.
19. Additional Integrity Inspection Data
PHMSA proposes collecting two sets of in-line inspection (ILI)
results. Under PHMSA regulations, operators conduct multiple rounds of
integrity inspections. This change would provide a history of ILIs
rather than just the most recent. The additional inspection data may
provide insights into the effectiveness of the various types of ILIs.
Also, in the current form, the same set of integrity inspection
questions appear in four different cause sections. Only one cause can
be selected so three sets of these questions are redundant. PHMSA
proposes having the questions appear once. PHMSA would also adjust
existing reports to have the questions appear only once. This change
would
[[Page 13703]]
simplify the form by reducing the number of distinct data fields.
PHMSA proposes collecting the type of direct assessment when this
inspection method has been implemented. The additional inspection data
may provide insights about the effectiveness of the various types of
direct assessments.
20. Contributing Factors
Pipeline operators currently select only one cause on the form.
Factors contributing to, but not causing, an accident are often
relevant to preventing future accidents. PHMSA proposes collecting data
about contributing factors. The proposal is similar to a recommendation
made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a January
2015 safety study report which can be viewed at https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/Documents/SS1501.pdf. Collection of information
on contributing factors in addition to the apparent cause would help
stakeholders develop a more thorough understanding of the accident and
ways to prevent future accidents.
II. Summary of Impacted Collection
Section 1320.8(d), Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, 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 an information collection request that
PHMSA will submit to OMB for renewal. PHMSA expects many of the new
data elements are already known by the operator and no report requires
the completion of all fields on the forms. PHMSA has estimated the
burdens below by adding 20% to the previous burdens--12 hours instead
of 10.
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 will request a three-
year term of approval for this information collection activity. PHMSA
requests comments on the following information:
1. Title: Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline:
Recordkeeping and Accident Reporting.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0047.
Current Expiration Date: 01/31/2023.
Type of Request: Revision.
Abstract: This information collection covers recordkeeping and
accident reporting by hazardous liquid pipeline operators who are
subject to 49 CFR part 195. Section 195.50 specifies the definition of
an ``accident'' that must be reported to PHMSA and the reporting
criteria for submitting a Hazardous Liquid Accident Report (form PHMSA
F 7000-1) is detailed in Sec. 195.54. PHMSA is proposing to revise the
form and instructions for PHMSA F 7000-1 for editorial and
clarification purposes.
Affected Public: Hazardous liquid pipeline operators.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Annual Responses: 1,232.
Annual Burden Hours: 53,229.
Comments are invited on:
(a) The need for the renewal and revision of these collections 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.
Authority: Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44
U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2020, under authority
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2020-04734 Filed 3-6-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P
