Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration December 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces a meeting of the Lithium Battery Safety Advisory Committee.

PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments on two (2) requests received from the Northern Natural Gas Company to renew previously issued special permits. These special permit renewal requests seek relief from compliance from certain requirements in the Federal pipeline safety regulations. At the conclusion of the 30-day comment period, PHMSA will review the comments received from this notice as part of its evaluation to grant or deny the special permit renewal requests.

PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments on a request for a special permit from Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP. The special permit request seeks relief from compliance with certain requirements in the Federal pipeline safety regulations. At the conclusion of the 30-day comment period, PHMSA will review the comments received from this notice as part of its evaluation to grant or deny the special permit request.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations, 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: 1 Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger-carrying aircraft.

PHMSA is publishing this notice as a general informational announcement concerning the issuance of a special permit. The special permit authorizes the grantee to transport Methane, refrigerated liquid (i.e., liquefied natural gas or LNG) by rail tank car. The special permit and documents supporting the special permit decision have been added to PHMSA's LNG by Rail Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Docket (Docket No. PHMSA-2018-0025) for consideration by the public because the subject matter of the special permit overlaps with the subject matter of PHMSA's rulemaking proposing to authorize the transport of LNG in rail tank cars. PHMSA reviewed comments to the draft environmental assessment (Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0100) published for public review on June 6, 2019. These comments informed PHMSA's decision making in issuing the special permit and will also help to inform PHMSA's deliberations with respect to a potential LNG by rail final rule. PHMSA will consider any additional comments on the operational controls included in the special permit that are filed to the LNG rulemaking docket to aid the agency in determining what, if any, operational controls may be appropriate for inclusion in a potential final rule.

PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comment on a request for special permit, seeking relief from compliance with certain requirements in the Federal pipeline safety regulations (PSRs). At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, PHMSA will review the comments received from this notice as part of its evaluation to grant or deny the special permit request.