Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration September 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) reminds pipeline owners and operators of the importance of installing weldable compression couplings in accordance with manufacturer procedures and following appropriate safety and start-up procedures. The failure to install weldable compression couplings correctly, or the failure to implement and follow appropriate safety and start-up procedures, could result in a catastrophic pipeline failure. PHMSA strongly urges operators to review, and incorporate where appropriate into operators' written procedures, the manufacturer's installation procedures and take any other necessary safety measures for safe and reliable operation of pipeline systems.

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 applications 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. Requests for modification 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'' denote a modification request. These applications have been separated from the new application for special permits to facilitate processing.

This notice is to advise interested persons that PHMSA will conduct a public meeting to receive input and guidance for the upcoming Proof-of-Concept Study on the use of electronic data sharing in lieu of paper hazardous materials shipping documents.