Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration November 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5117(c), PHMSA is publishing the following list of special permit 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 application.

This notice announces a public meeting of the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC), also known as the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, and the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee (LPAC), also known as the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee. The committees will meet to discuss two proposed rules, the first to implement changes to the administrative procedures in Part 190 Enforcement Procedures, and the second to establish criteria and procedures for determining the adequacy of state pipeline excavation damage prevention law enforcement programs; to establish an administrative process for making adequacy determinations and Federal requirements PHMSA will enforce in states with inadequate programs; and to establish the adjudication process for administrative enforcement proceedings against excavators where Federal authority is exercised.

PHMSA and the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Office of Security and Hazardous Materials Safety hereby provide notification of our intent to extend the compliance date for certain provisions adopted in a January 19, 2011 final rule (PHMSA-2009-0126; 76 FR 3308) by no less than one year beyond the current January 1, 2013 compliance date in a future rulemaking action. This notice is intended to provide the widest dissemination of our planned future action to all potentially affected parties and to allow for development of a collaborative approach to implementing air-passenger notifications between interested government, commercial, and private entities.

PHMSA has been alerted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that counterfeit air bags have been sold as replacement parts to consumers and repair professionals. These counterfeit products may contain unapproved explosives and thus pose additional transportation risks when compared to air bags manufactured through legitimate means. Therefore, PHMSA is issuing this Safety Advisory Notice to (1) notify shippers and carriers of problems involving counterfeit air bags; (2) provide guidance on the proper classification of air bags; (3) specify provisions applicable to devices containing unapproved explosives; and (4) provide the next steps that PHMSA will take to address this problem. Consumers or repair professionals who suspect they have a counterfeit air bag should contact a call center established by their auto manufacturer. A list of these call centers and other additional information, including the list of vehicles that may contain counterfeit air bags, can be found at www.SaferCar.gov.