Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Federal Pipeline Safety Laws, PHMSA is publishing this notice of a special permit request we have received from Dominion Transmission, Inc., a natural gas pipeline operator, seeking relief from compliance with certain requirements in the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations. This notice seeks public comments on this request, including comments on any safety or environmental impacts. At the conclusion of the 30-day comment period, PHMSA will evaluate the request and determine whether to grant or deny a special permit.

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. Each mode of transportation for which a particular special permit is requested is indicated by a number in the ``Nature of Application'' portion of the table below as follows: 1Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger-carrying aircraft.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA invites comments on an information collection under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 2137-0598, titled ``Incorporation by Reference of Industry Standard on Leak Detection.'' PHMSA is preparing to request approval from OMB for a renewal of the current information collection.

PHMSA is issuing an Advisory Bulletin to operators of hazardous liquid pipeline facilities required to prepare and submit an oil spill response plan under 49 CFR part 194. In light of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which has resulted

Pursuant to the Federal pipeline safety laws, PHMSA is publishing this notice of special permit request we have received from a hazardous liquid pipeline operator, Anchor Point Energy, LLC. Anchor Point Energy, LLC is seeking relief from compliance with certain plastic pipe design requirements in the Federal pipeline safety regulations in connection with the Class 1 location portion of a 7.4 mile natural gas pipeline to be constructed in Alaska. This notice seeks public comments on this request, including comments on any safety or environmental impacts. At the conclusion of the 30-day comment period, PHMSA will evaluate the request and determine whether to grant or deny a special permit.

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. Each mode of transportation for which a particular special permit is requested is indicated by a number in the ``Nature of Application'' portion of the table below as follows: 1Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger-carrying aircraft.

PHMSA is co-sponsoring a one day public awareness workshop with the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR). The workshop will be an opportunity, following the initial four-year implementation cycle, to review the implementation process, identify what implementation strategies have worked well, discuss challenges faced by the pipeline industry, discuss Federal and state regulatory oversight, learn about public interest and need for information about pipelines in their communities, and identify critical elements of a successful operator public awareness program. Pipeline trade associations, the Pipeline Safety Trust, the National Transportation Safety Board, and pipeline operators will share lessons learned from implementing their public awareness programs based on Federal regulations. PHMSA and state partners will discuss the scope of and timeline for conducting effectiveness evaluations. PHMSA and our state partners will use the results from this event, in addition to existing inspection activities, to further develop our programs for evaluating pipeline operator public awareness programs. The workshop will be webcast live, in real time and presentations will be made available following the workshop.

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.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations to incorporate provisions contained in certain widely used or longstanding special permits that have an established safety record. Special permits allow a company or individual to package or ship a hazardous material in a manner that varies from the regulations so long as an equivalent level of safety is maintained. The revisions in this final rule are intended to provide wider access to the regulatory flexibility offered in special permits and eliminate the need for numerous renewal requests, thus reducing paperwork burdens and facilitating commerce while maintaining an appropriate level of safety.

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.

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. Each mode of transportation for which a particular special permit is requested is indicated by a number in the ``Nature of Application'' portion of the table below as follows: 1Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger-carrying aircraft.

On October 15, 2009, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a notice in the Federal Register to invite comments on a proposed revision to an information collection under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 2137-0584, titled ``Gas and Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Program.'' Three comments were received. PHMSA is publishing this notice to respond to those comments, provide the public with an additional 30 days to comment on the proposed revision, and announce that the revised Information Collection will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.

PHMSA is amending the statutorily mandated registration and fee assessment program for persons who transport, or offer for transportation, certain categories and quantities of hazardous materials. For those registrants not qualifying as a small business or not-for-profit organization, PHMSA is increasing the annual fee from $975 (plus a $25 administrative fee) to $2,575 (plus a $25 administrative fee) for registration year 2010-2011 and following years. The increase is necessary to fund the national Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grants program at approximately $28,300,000 in accordance with the Administration's Fiscal Year 2010 budget and proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget.

PHMSA is issuing an advisory bulletin to notify owners and operators of recently constructed large diameter natural gas pipeline and hazardous liquid pipeline systems of the potential for girth weld failures due to welding quality issues. Misalignment during welding of large diameter line pipe may cause in-service leaks and ruptures at pressures well below 72 percent specified minimum yield strength (SMYS). PHMSA has reviewed several recent projects constructed in 2008 and 2009 with 20-inch or greater diameter, grade X70 and higher line pipe. Metallurgical testing results of failed girth welds in pipe wall thickness transitions have found pipe segments with line pipe weld misalignment, improper bevel and wall thickness transitions, and other improper welding practices that occurred during construction. A number of the failures were located in pipeline segments with concentrated external loading due to support and backfill issues. Owners and operators of recently constructed large diameter pipelines should evaluate these lines for potential girth weld failures due to misalignment and other issues by reviewing construction and operating records and conducting engineering reviews as necessary.

PHMSA is conducting a workshop cosponsored by the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR) on new distribution pipeline construction. The workshop will allow stakeholders in the pipeline safety community to learn about and discuss construction issues and current practices in natural gas distribution pipeline construction management and quality control. This

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 safety advisory is issued to remind all persons who manufacture or use composite cargo tank motor vehicles authorized under DOT special permits of the requirement to conduct testing to ensure that the material to be transported in the cargo tank is compatible with the materials used in the construction of the cargo tank.

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. Each mode of transportation for which a particular special permit is requested is indicated by a number in the ``Nature of Application'' portion of the table below as follows: 1Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4 Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger- carrying aircraft.

PHMSA has determined that the minimum random drug testing rate for covered employees will remain at 25 percent during calendar year 2010.

This notice advises owners and operators of gas pipeline facilities and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities that the incident/ accident report forms for their pipeline systems were recently revised and should be used for all incidents and accidents occurring on or after January 1, 2010.

PHMSA is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on December 4, 2009. That final rule amended the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations to require operators of gas distribution pipelines to develop and implement integrity management programs. In addition to a minor correction in terminology, this document corrects an erroneous effective date given in the December 4 publication.

In this final rule, PHMSA is amending packaging requirements in the Hazardous Materials Regulations to enhance compliance flexibility, improve clarity, and reduce regulatory burdens. Specifically, we are revising several packaging related definitions; adding provisions to allow more flexibility when preparing and transmitting closure instructions, including conditions under which closure instructions may be transmitted electronically; adding a requirement for shippers to retain packaging closure instructions; incorporating new language that will allow for a practicable means of stenciling the ``UN'' symbol on packagings; and clarifying a requirement to document the methodology used when determining whether a change in packaging configuration requires retesting as a new design or may be considered a variation of a previously tested design. This final rule also incorporates requirements for construction, maintenance, and use of Large Packagings.

On November 24, 2009, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a notice in the Federal Register (74 FR 61403) of its intent to renew an information collection under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 2137-0604, titled ``Pipeline Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas Operators with more than 500 Miles of Hazardous Liquid Pipeline.'' No comments were received. PHMSA is publishing this notice to provide the public with an additional 30 days to comment and announce that the Information Collection renewal will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.

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.

PHMSA is reopening the comment period for its Federal Register Notice issued on November 17, 2009 (73 FR 59342), that gave notice of a request from the Kern River Gas Transmission Company (Kern River), for modification of an existing special permit, PHMSA-2007-29078, granted to the company on November 8, 2008. Kern River seeks modification of Condition 35 of the special permit, which concerns the external coating on its gas pipeline.