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

This notice announces a public meeting on operator qualification programs. PHMSA is preparing a Report to Congress on the status and results of programs to ensure the qualifications of individuals performing safety tasks on pipelines. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has almost completed developing a consensus standard qualifying individuals performing safety tasks on pipelines. The meeting provides an opportunity to discuss progress on operator qualification programs to help PHMSA prepare the Report to Congress and the potential the ASME standard offers for strengthening operator qualification programs.

On September 10, 2003, the Research and Special Programs Administrationthe predecessor agency to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to propose an inspection and testing program for early detection of sustained load cracking in certain cylinders manufactured with aluminum alloy 6351-T6. Based on comments received in response to that NPRM, we are proposing to adopt a maximum service life for cylinders manufactured with aluminum alloy 6351-T6 and to prohibit the use of these cylinders after the expiration of their maximum service life.

Under current regulations governing integrity management of gas transmission lines, if an operator uses direct assessment to evaluate corrosion risks, it must carry out the direct assessment according to PHMSA standards. In response to a statutory directive, this Final Rule prescribes similar standards operators must meet when they use direct assessment on certain other onshore gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipelines. PHMSA believes broader application of direct assessment standards will enhance public confidence in the use of direct assessment to assure pipeline safety.

This notice requests public participation in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval process for the renewal of an existing PHMSA information collection. In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below has been forwarded to OMB for extension of the currently approved collection. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and the expected burden. PHMSA published a Federal Register Notice soliciting comments on the following information collection and received none. The purpose of this notice is to allow the public an additional 30 days from the date of this notice to submit comments.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations (49 CFR part 107 Subpart B), notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein. This notice is abbreviated to expedite docketing and public notice. Because the sections affected, modes of transportation, and the nature of application have been shown in earlier Federal Register publications, they are not repeated here. Request of modifications of special permits (e.g. to provide for additional hazardous materials, packaging design changes, additional mode of transportation, etc.) are described in footnotes to the application number. Application numbers with the suffix ``M'' demote a modification request. There applications have been separated from the new applications for special permits to facilitate processing.

On September 25, 1991, DOT published a notice of proposed rulemaking to revise the definition of ``gathering line'' in its gas pipeline safety standards. Because the proposal proved controversial, final action was postponed pending collection of additional information. In this Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM), PHMSA is proposing use of a consensus standard to distinguish onshore gathering lines. PHMSA's gas pipeline safety standards do not provide an adequate basis for distinguishing these pipelines from production facilities and transmission lines. In addition, PHMSA is proposing to establish safety standards for certain higher-risk onshore gathering lines, and to relax current standards on certain low-risk onshore gathering lines. (Onshore gathering lines in inlets of the Gulf of Mexico are not affected by this rulemaking.) Operators would use a new risk-based approach to determine which of its gathering lines are ``regulated onshore gathering lines'' and what safety standards the lines must meet. At present, PHMSA's safety standards do not apply to onshore gathering lines in rural locations, while onshore gathering lines in non-rural locations must meet the same requirements as transmission lines. This regulatory approach is insufficient to assure that conditions on gathering lines that pose a greater risk to the public and property are addressed. And it does not take into account the lower risk some other gathering lines pose. The intended effects of the proposed rules are improved identification of gathering lines, improved public confidence in the safety of gathering lines, and safety requirements better tailored to gathering line risks.