Pipeline Safety: Notice of Availability of the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment for the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program, 67748-67749 [2022-24378]

Download as PDF 67748 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 216 / Wednesday, November 9, 2022 / Notices Applicable Date: January 1, 2023. Iyon Rosario, Drug and Alcohol Program Manager in the Office of Transit Safety and Oversight, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: 202–366–2010 or email: Iyon.Rosario@ dot.gov). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 1, 1995, FTA required large transit employers to begin drug and alcohol testing of employees performing safety-sensitive functions, and to submit annual reports by March 15 of each year beginning in 1996, pursuant to drug and alcohol regulations adopted by FTA at 49 CFR parts 653 and 654 in February 1994. The annual report includes the number of employees who had a verified positive test for the use of prohibited drugs, and the number of employees who tested positive for the misuse of alcohol during the reported year. Small employers commenced the required testing on January 1, 1996, and began reporting the same information as the large employers beginning March 15, 1997. FTA updated the testing rules by merging them into a new 49 CFR part 655, effective August 1, 2001 (66 FR 42002). The regulation maintained a random testing rate for prohibited drugs at 50 percent and the misuse of alcohol at 10 percent. The Administrator may lower the random testing rate to 25 percent if the violation rates drop below 1.0 percent for drug testing and 0.5 percent for alcohol testing for two consecutive years. Accordingly, in 2007, FTA reduced the random drug testing rate from 50 percent to 25 percent (72 FR 1057). In 2018, however, FTA returned the random drug testing rate to 50 percent for calendar year 2019 based on verified industry data for calendar year 2017, which showed that the rate had exceeded 1 percent (83 FR 63812). Pursuant to 49 CFR 655.45, the Administrator’s decision to determine the minimum annual percentage rate for random drug and alcohol testing is based, in part, on the reported positive drug and alcohol violation rates for the entire public transportation industry. The information used for this determination is drawn from the Drug and Alcohol Management Information System (MIS) reports required by 49 CFR 655.72. To ensure the reliability of the data, the Administrator must consider the quality and completeness of the reported data, may obtain additional information or reports from employers, and may make appropriate modifications in calculating the industry’s verified positive results and violation rates. DATES: khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:09 Nov 08, 2022 Jkt 259001 For calendar year 2023, the Administrator has determined that the minimum random drug testing rate for covered employees will remain at 50 percent based on a verified positive rate for prohibited drug use of 0.99 percent for calendar year 2021 and 1.08 percent for calendar year 2020. Further, the Administrator has determined that the minimum random alcohol testing rate for calendar year 2023 will remain at 10 percent, because the violation rate again was lower than 0.5 percent for calendar years 2020 and 2021. The random alcohol violation rates were 0.17 percent for 2020 and 0.13 for 2021. Detailed reports on FTA’s drug and alcohol testing data collected from transit employers may be obtained from FTA, Office of Transit Safety and Oversight, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366–2010, or at: https://transit-safety.fta.dot.gov/ DrugAndAlcohol/Publications/ Default.aspx. Nuria I. Fernandez, Administrator. [FR Doc. 2022–24379 Filed 11–8–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–57–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration [Docket No: PHMSA–2022–0123] Pipeline Safety: Notice of Availability of the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment for the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), DOT. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: PHMSA announces the availability for public review and comment on the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) Grant Program Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment. PHMSA is using a programmatic, tiered environmental analysis to: describe the effects of implementing the NGDISM Grant Program and ensure that implementation of the NGDISM Grant Program at any project site complies with environmental laws and does not result in a significant environmental impact. SUMMARY: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before December 9, 2022. To the extent DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00080 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 possible, PHMSA will consider latefiled comments. ADDRESSES: Comments should reference the Docket number for this notice and 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 a.m. and 5 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Instructions: Identify docket number PHMSA–2022–0123 at the beginning of your comments. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. 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 or DOT’s Docket Operations Office (see ADDRESSES). 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– 2022–0123.’’ 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. Privacy Act Statement: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT may solicit comments from the public regarding certain general notices. DOT posts these E:\FR\FM\09NON1.SGM 09NON1 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 216 / Wednesday, November 9, 2022 / Notices comments, without edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL- 14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy. 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 the program office at PHMSAPipelineBILGrant@dot.gov. 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: Shakira Mack by email at PHMSAPipelineBILGrant@dot.gov or by phone at 202–366–7652. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub. L. 117–58) was enacted. Under the heading ‘‘Department of Transportation— Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration—Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program’’ in title VIII of division J, the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program was established. The stated purpose of the program is to provide grant opportunities to municipality and community-owned utilities (not including for-profit entities) ‘‘to repair, rehabilitate, or replace its natural gas distribution pipeline system or portions thereof or to acquire equipment to (1) VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:09 Nov 08, 2022 Jkt 259001 reduce incidents and fatalities and (2) avoid economic losses.’’ The statutory requirements for PHMSA’s implementation of the program are mandatory, and PHMSA is expected to implement the program as swiftly as possible to reduce incidents, fatalities, and adverse impacts to the public and the environment, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Under the Federal Pipeline Safety Laws, 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq., the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) must prescribe minimum safety standards for pipeline transportation and for pipeline facilities. The Secretary has delegated this authority to the PHMSA Administrator (49 CFR 1.97(a)). Therefore, PHMSA is the Federal safety agency responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operations of our Nation’s pipeline transportation system. Through the NGDISM Grant Program, PHMSA seeks to (1) reduce the risk profile of existing municipality and community-owned (not including forprofit entities) natural gas distribution pipeline systems, including pipe prone to leakage of methane, (2) create related jobs, (3) provide economic impact and growth, and (4) benefit disadvantaged rural and urban communities. PHMSA is publishing this notice, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), to give stakeholders an opportunity to comment on PHMSA’s Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment. We invite interested persons to review and provide comment on the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment which is included in the docket for this notice. The document is available at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket number PHMSA–2022–0123. Please include comment on potential safety, environmental, and any additional impacts that should be considered. Before issuing the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment, PHMSA will evaluate all comments received on or before the comment closing date. Comments received after the closing date will be evaluated if it is possible to do so without incurring additional expense or delay. PHMSA will consider each relevant comment it receives prior to issuing the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment as part of the NGDISM Grant Program. Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended. PO 00000 Frm 00081 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 67749 Issued in Washington, DC, on November 2, 2022, under authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.97. Alan K. Mayberry, Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety. [FR Doc. 2022–24378 Filed 11–8–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–60–P DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Agency Information Collection Activities: Information Collection Revision; Submission for OMB Review; Licensing Manual Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comment. AGENCY: The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the revision to a continuing information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and respondents are not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information collection titled ‘‘Licensing Manual.’’ The OCC also is giving notice that the collection has been sent to OMB for review. DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 9, 2022. ADDRESSES: Commenters are encouraged to submit comments by email, if possible. You may submit comments by any of the following methods: • Email: prainfo@occ.treas.gov. • Mail: Chief Counsel’s Office, Attention: Comment Processing, 1557– 0014, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E– 218, Washington, DC 20219. • Hand Delivery/Courier: 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E–218, Washington, DC 20219. • Fax: (571) 293–4835. Instructions: You must include ‘‘OCC’’ as the agency name and ‘‘1557– 0014’’ in your comment. In general, the OCC will publish comments on www.reginfo.gov without change, including any business or personal information provided, such as name and address information, email addresses, or SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\09NON1.SGM 09NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67748-67749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24378]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No: PHMSA-2022-0123]


Pipeline Safety: Notice of Availability of the Tier 1 Nationwide 
Environmental Assessment for the Natural Gas Distribution 
Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program

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

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: PHMSA announces the availability for public review and comment 
on the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization 
(NGDISM) Grant Program Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment. 
PHMSA is using a programmatic, tiered environmental analysis to: 
describe the effects of implementing the NGDISM Grant Program and 
ensure that implementation of the NGDISM Grant Program at any project 
site complies with environmental laws and does not result in a 
significant environmental impact.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 9, 2022. To the extent possible, PHMSA will consider late-
filed comments.

ADDRESSES: Comments should reference the Docket number for this notice 
and 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 a.m. and 
5 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: Identify docket number PHMSA-2022-0123 at the 
beginning of your comments. To avoid duplication, please use only one 
of these four methods. 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 or DOT's Docket Operations 
Office (see ADDRESSES). 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-2022-
0123.'' 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.
    Privacy Act Statement: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT may 
solicit comments from the public regarding certain general notices. DOT 
posts these

[[Page 67749]]

comments, without edit, including any personal information the 
commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system 
of records notice (DOT/ALL- 14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 
www.dot.gov/privacy.
    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 the program 
office at [email protected]. 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: Shakira Mack by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at 202-366-7652.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub. L. 117-58) was enacted. Under the 
heading ``Department of Transportation--Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration--Natural Gas Distribution 
Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program'' in title VIII 
of division J, the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and 
Modernization Grant Program was established. The stated purpose of the 
program is to provide grant opportunities to municipality and 
community-owned utilities (not including for-profit entities) ``to 
repair, rehabilitate, or replace its natural gas distribution pipeline 
system or portions thereof or to acquire equipment to (1) reduce 
incidents and fatalities and (2) avoid economic losses.'' The statutory 
requirements for PHMSA's implementation of the program are mandatory, 
and PHMSA is expected to implement the program as swiftly as possible 
to reduce incidents, fatalities, and adverse impacts to the public and 
the environment, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
    Under the Federal Pipeline Safety Laws, 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq., 
the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) must prescribe minimum 
safety standards for pipeline transportation and for pipeline 
facilities. The Secretary has delegated this authority to the PHMSA 
Administrator (49 CFR 1.97(a)). Therefore, PHMSA is the Federal safety 
agency responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, and environmentally 
sound operations of our Nation's pipeline transportation system. 
Through the NGDISM Grant Program, PHMSA seeks to (1) reduce the risk 
profile of existing municipality and community-owned (not including 
for-profit entities) natural gas distribution pipeline systems, 
including pipe prone to leakage of methane, (2) create related jobs, 
(3) provide economic impact and growth, and (4) benefit disadvantaged 
rural and urban communities.
    PHMSA is publishing this notice, in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), to give stakeholders an 
opportunity to comment on PHMSA's Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental 
Assessment.
    We invite interested persons to review and provide comment on the 
Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment which is included in the 
docket for this notice. The document is available at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket number PHMSA-2022-0123. Please include 
comment on potential safety, environmental, and any additional impacts 
that should be considered.
    Before issuing the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment, 
PHMSA will evaluate all comments received on or before the comment 
closing date. Comments received after the closing date will be 
evaluated if it is possible to do so without incurring additional 
expense or delay. PHMSA will consider each relevant comment it receives 
prior to issuing the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment as part 
of the NGDISM Grant Program.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 
35, as amended.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 2, 2022, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2022-24378 Filed 11-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P
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