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

Consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, PHMSA is proposing to establish new categorical exclusions and agency the National Environmental Policy Act implementing procedures. Categorical exclusions are categories of actions that an agency has determined normally do not have a significant effect on the human environment, individually or in the aggregate. Categorical exclusions are a form of review that agencies use to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act for proposed actions that normally have no or minimal environmental effects. PHMSA requests the views of the public on its proposal to establish these CEs and agency National Environmental Policy Act procedures.

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.

PHMSA proposes to revise the Hazardous Materials Regulations to adopt several modal-specific amendments that would enhance the safe transportation of hazardous materials in commerce. PHMSA, in consultation with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the United States Coast Guard, proposes amendments identified during Departmental review and from industry petitions for rulemaking.

The Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) proposes to amend its regulations for conducting workplace drug and alcohol testing for the federally regulated transportation industry to allow, but not require, electronic signatures on documents required to be created and utilized under the regulations, the use of electronic versions of forms, and the electronic storage of forms and data. The regulatory changes would apply to DOT-regulated employers and their contractors ("service agents") who administer their DOT-regulated drug and alcohol testing programs. Currently, employers and their service agents must use, sign and store paper documents exclusively, unless the employer is utilizing a laboratory's electronic Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form (electronic CCF) system that has been approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). DOT is required by statute to amend its regulations to authorize, to the extent practicable, the use of electronic signatures or digital signatures executed to electronic forms instead of traditional handwritten signatures executed on paper forms. This rulemaking also responds to an April 2, 2020, petition for rulemaking from DISA Global Solutions, Inc. (DISA), requesting that DOT regulations be amended to allow the use of an electronic version of the alcohol testing form (ATF) for DOT-authorized alcohol testing. The proposed regulatory amendments are expected to provide additional flexibility and reduced costs for the industry while maintaining the integrity and confidentiality requirements of the drug and alcohol testing regulations. In addition, DOT proposes to amend the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) regulation for conformity and to make other miscellaneous technical changes and corrections.

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

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 invites public comments about PHMSA's intention to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew eight information collections that are scheduled to expire in 2025. PHMSA has reviewed each information collection and considers them vital to maintaining pipeline safety. As such, PHMSA will request renewal from OMB, without change, for each information collection.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) proposes to waive the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act's domestic preference requirements for certain products that City Utilities of Springfield (City Utilities) will use in its Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) grant project. The proposed waiver would exempt the following products used in City Utilities' project from BABA requirements on the basis of nonavailability: locator markers; meter stops with insulated unions; magnesium anodes; 1A meter swivels, nuts, and washers; and direct bury lugs. In accordance with section 70914(c) of BABA, PHMSA is seeking public comments on the proposed waiver.

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 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.

PHMSA is proposing a new fee for cost recovery for siting reviews of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility project applications where the design and construction costs total $2.5 billion or more. This proposed rule is necessary to implement section 103 of the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2020 (PIPES Act of 2020), and to help provide adequate resources for siting reviews to promote the public safety and environmental protection objectives of the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS). This proposed rule also revises current regulations authorizing PHMSA's cost recovery for design safety reviews of gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipeline facilities to improve the clarity of the regulations and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens.

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 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 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 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.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is adopting a categorical exclusion (CE) established by the Department of Energy (DOE) that covers a category of actions that PHMSA proposes to take. This notice identifies the DOE CE and PHMSA's category of proposed actions for which it intends to use DOE's CE, describes the consultation between the agencies, and how PHMSA will apply and notify the public of its use.

In response to a Petition for Reconsideration of an August 1, 2023, technical correction rule, PHMSA is issuing additional corrections codifying a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) regarding the final rule titled "Pipeline Safety: Requirement of Valve Installation and Minimum Rupture Detection Standards."

PHMSA is amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations to require railroads that carry hazardous materials to generate in electronic form, maintain, and provide to first responders, emergency response officials, and law enforcement personnel, certain information regarding hazardous materials in rail transportation to enhance emergency response and investigative efforts. The amendments in this final rule address a safety recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board and statutory mandates in The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, as amended by the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act, and complement existing regulatory requirements pertaining to the generation, maintenance, and provision of similar information in hard copy form, as well as other hazard communication requirements.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is publishing this notice to solicit information pertaining to the current tare weight, mass weight, and water capacity marking requirements for compressed gas cylinders.

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 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 invites comments on three Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control numbers pertaining to hazardous materials transportation. PHMSA intends to request renewal and extension for these three control numbers from OMB.

On March 25, 2024, PHMSA published a notice in the Federal Register inviting public comments on its intent to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of changes to PHMSA forms to collect data on the use of rupture mitigation valves, or alternative equivalent technologies, and the blending of hydrogen gas with other natural gases within gas pipelines. In response to a petition, PHMSA is extending the deadline to submit comments.