Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration November 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

PHMSA is issuing this advisory bulletin to notify pipeline owners and operators of the importance of evaluating their pipeline facilities for the existence and potential threat of hard spots in the pipe body. That susceptibility comes from the plate and pipe manufacturing and is broader than previously understood; recent data and incident investigations indicate that hard spots could affect multiple pipelines manufactured prior to 1970. Hard spots, if not identified and mitigated, pose a threat to the integrity of the pipeline from interacting threats such as coating degradation, soil chemistry, and/or increased hydrogen exposure, which can result in hydrogen-induced cracking. Pipeline owners and operators should consider expanding their hard spot threat evaluation to all pipe manufactured prior to 1970, regardless of manufacturer; collecting and analyzing data associated with hard spot magnetic flux leakage in-line inspection tools; and following industry best practices when conducting in-line inspection data analysis.

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.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA is publishing a 60-day supplemental notice and providing an additional opportunity for public comment on its development of general investigative questions that may be used by PHMSA's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) field operations personnel when investigating potential general safety issues. These questions are intended to facilitate fact-gathering efforts during general investigations related to PHMSA's safety oversight responsibilities. Answering these questions would be voluntary and not impose any new reporting or recordkeeping requirements on regulated entities. Rather, the goal is to develop a pool of questions that can be tailored as appropriate based on the specific circumstances of a general investigation that is not related to the inspection of an individual company or entity for compliance with the hazardous materials regulations.