Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 2016 – 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.

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. 2137-0605, titled ``Integrity Management in High Consequence Areas for Operators of Hazardous Liquid Pipelines.'' PHMSA is preparing to request approval from OMB for a renewal of the currently approved information collection.

This advisory bulletin advises owners and operators of petroleum gas and natural gas facilities of the need to take the appropriate steps to prevent damage to pipeline facilities from accumulated snow or ice. Past events on natural gas distribution system facilities appear to have been related to either the stress of snow and ice or the malfunction of pressure control equipment due to ice blockage of pressure control equipment vents. This advisory reminds owners and operators of the need to take precautionary actions to prevent adverse events.

This notice is to inform the interested public that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will conduct a public meeting for the Research and Development Forum to be held on March 23 and 24, 2016, in Washington, DC. The OHMS will host the forum to present the results of recently completed projects, brief on new project plans with stakeholders input, and discuss the direction of current and future research projects. During the meeting OHMS will solicit comments related to new research topics that may be considered for inclusion in its future work. The OHMS will accept research needs statements from industry, academia, and other stakeholders. Some examples of particular interest to OHMS are the research gaps associated with energetic materials characterization and transport, safe transport of energy products (STEP), safe containment and transportation of compressed gasses, safe packaging and transportation of charge storage devices, etc. Identification of other research gaps related to the transportation of hazardous materials will be encouraged in an effort to meet the holistic needs of the transportation community and the DOT's goals: Safety, infrastructure repair, environmental responsibility, quality communities, and economic competitiveness. Time and Location: The meeting will be held at the DOT Headquarters, West Building, Oklahoma Conference Room, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.

PHMSA is issuing this advisory bulletin to remind all owners and operators of gas and hazardous liquid pipelines of the potential for damage to pipeline facilities caused by severe flooding and actions that operators should consider taking to ensure the integrity of pipelines in the event of flooding, river scour, and river channel migration.

This document announces a public meeting of the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee (LPAC). The committee will meet to consider and vote on the proposed rule, ``Pipeline Safety: Safety of Hazardous Liquid Pipelines,'' and the associated regulatory assessment.