Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration March 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) plans to conduct several work group meetings in 2005 to evaluate ways to enhance integrity of gas distribution pipeline systems. The work groups include representatives of OPS, state pipeline safety regulators, the gas distribution industry, the Gas Pipeline Technology Committee, the Fire Marshal's Association, and the public. The next meeting will be held March 29-31, 2005, in Dallas, Texas.

This notice seeks public comment on the need for PHMSA to collect paperwork information from state agencies that maintain programs to regulate pipelines. The purpose of the paperwork is to ensure that these states are properly monitoring the operations of pipeline operators in their states, and to determine Federal grant amounts for these states. This notice is published (pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995) to measure the need for the paperwork collection from these state agencies, to find ways to minimize the burden on states that must respond, to find ways to enhance the quality of information collected, and to verify the accuracy of the PHMSA's estimate of the burden (measured in work hours) on the states. This notice also seeks approval from the Office of Management and Budget to renew the existing approval of this paperwork collection.

This notice seeks public comment on the need for PHMSA to collect paperwork information from hazardous liquid pipeline operators. The mission of PHMSA is to ensure the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of the nation's approximately 154,000 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines. The requested paperwork will ensure that PHMSA can identify any trends in hazardous liquid pipeline safety and share it with the stakeholders for effective inspection programs, minimizing incidents. This notice is published (pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995) to measure the need for the paperwork collection from the hazardous liquid pipeline operators, to find ways to minimize the burden on operators, to find ways to enhance the quality of the collected information, and to verify the accuracy of PHMSA's estimate of the burden (measured in work hours) on private entities. This notice also seeks to renew the existing approval from OMB for this paperwork collection.

PHMSA proposes to amend the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to adopt standards for the design, construction, maintenance and use of cylinders and multiple-element gas containers (MEGCs) based on the standards contained in the United Nations (UN) Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Aligning the HMR with the UN Recommendations will promote flexibility, permit the use of technological advances for the manufacture of pressure receptacles, provide for a broader selection of pressure receptacles, reduce the need for exemptions, and facilitate international commerce in the transportation of compressed gases.

In accordance with the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5117(c), PHMSA is publishing the following list of exemption applications that have been in process for 180 days or more. The reason(s) for delay and the expected completion date for action on each application is provided in association with each identified.

The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) is granting Columbia Gas Transmission's (Columbia) petition for a waiver of the pipeline safety regulations to install fiberglass reinforced polyethylene pipe in its high pressure natural gas storage field operations.