Pipeline Safety: Public Meeting on Implementing the Recently Published Gas Transmission and Hazardous Liquid Final Rules
| Published date | 29 January 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 5168 |
| Record Number | 2020-01630 |
| Section | Rules and Regulations |
| Court | Pipeline And Hazardous Materials Safety Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 5168-5169]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01630]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
49 CFR Parts 191, 192, and 195
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0225]
Pipeline Safety: Public Meeting on Implementing the Recently
Published Gas Transmission and Hazardous Liquid Final Rules
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
DOT.
ACTION: Announcement of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: This document announces a public meeting for Pipeline Safety
officials to discuss with pipeline safety stakeholders the
implementation of the gas transmission and the hazardous liquid
pipeline final rules published in the Federal Register on October 1,
2019. PHMSA is making available for comment draft frequently asked
questions (FAQs) and answers for both final rules that will be used to
facilitate the implementation of the final rules. PHMSA will also
discuss the benefits of pipeline operators developing an effective
safety culture, including safety management systems.
DATES: The public meeting will be held on February 26-27, 2020, from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., CT. Members of the public who wish to attend in
person are asked to register no later than February 18, 2020. Comments
on the draft FAQs should be submitted to Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0225 by
February 11, 2020, so that we can effectively discuss public comments
in the public meeting. However, the comment period will remain open
until March 27, 2020, to allow for public participation following the
conclusion of the meeting. Individuals requiring accommodations, such
as sign language interpretation or other ancillary aids, are asked to
notify PHMSA by February 18, 2020. For additional information see the
ADDRESSES section.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Houston Marriott Sugar Land
hotel at 16090 City Walk, Sugarland, Texas 77479. The meeting room
location, agenda, and any additional information will be published at
https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=146.
The meeting will be web cast, and any documents presented will be
available on the meeting website and posted on the E-Gov website:
http://www.regulations.gov under docket number PHMSA-2019-0225 within
30 days following the meeting.
Public Participation: This meeting will be open to the public.
Members of the public who wish to attend in person are asked to
register at https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=146.
to facilitate entry and guarantee seating. Members of the public
attending will be provided an opportunity to participate. Instructions
on how to participate through webcast will be provided at the beginning
of the meeting.
Services for Individuals with Disabilities: The public meeting will
be physically accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals
requiring accommodations, such as sign language interpretation or other
ancillary aids, are asked to notify Chris Hoidal, Senior Technical
Advisor, Office of the Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and
Programs, at 303-807-8833 or by email at [email protected].
Written comments: Persons who want to submit written comments may
do so by submitting them to the public docket in the following ways:
E-Gov Website: http://www.regulations.gov. This site allows the
public to enter comments on any Federal Register document issued by any
agency.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the ground level of the DOT West
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
Instructions: Identify the docket number PHMSA-2019-0225 at the
beginning of your comments. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to www.regulations.gov, including any personal
information provided. You should know that anyone is able to search the
electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment,
if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).
Therefore, you may want to review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement
in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000, (65 FR 19477) or
view the Privacy Notice at www.regulations.gov before submitting any
such comments.
Docket: For access to the docket or to read background documents or
comments, go to http://
[[Page 5169]]
www.regulations.gov at any time or Room W12-140 on the ground level of
the DOT West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC,
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. If you wish to receive confirmation of receipt of your
written comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard
with the following statement: ``Comments on PHMSA-2019-0225.'' The
Docket Clerk will date stamp the postcard prior to returning it to you
via the U.S. mail.
Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business
Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both
customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from
public disclosure. If your comments responsive to this document contain
commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as
private, that you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or
responsive to this document, it is important that you clearly designate
the submitted comments as CBI. Pursuant to 49 CFR 190.343, you may ask
PHMSA to give confidential treatment to information you give to the
agency by taking the following steps: (1) Mark each page of the
original document submission containing CBI as ``Confidential''; (2)
send PHMSA, along with the original document, a second copy of the
original document with the CBI deleted; and (3) explain why the
information you are submitting is CBI. Unless you are notified
otherwise, PHMSA will treat such marked submissions as confidential
under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public docket of
this document. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Chris
Hoidal at DOT, PHMSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-
0001. Any commentary PHMSA receives that is not specifically designated
as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this matter.
Privacy Act Statement
DOT may solicit comments from the public regarding certain general
notices. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal
information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as
described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can
be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the meeting,
contact Chris Hoidal, Senior Technical Advisor, at
[email protected]. For technical information, contact Chris Hoidal
or Rodrick Seeley, Director, Southwest Regional Office, by email at
[email protected] or [email protected], respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Meeting Details and Agenda
PHMSA is holding a public meeting to assist with the implementation
process for the gas transmission final rule, 84 FR 52180, and hazardous
liquid pipeline final rule, 84 FR 52260, that were published in the
Federal Register on October 1, 2019. PHMSA will provide an overview of
the regulations, key regulatory milestones, and regulatory expectations
to demonstrate compliance.\1\ PHMSA will also discuss the benefits of
pipeline operators developing an effective safety culture, including
safety management systems. PHMSA will solicit and discuss how operators
may further control safety risks in operations by taking into account
the operator's specific organizational structures and processes related
to safety of operations, including compliance with new and existing
regulations.
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\1\ The American Gas Association, American Petroleum Institute,
American Public Gas Association, and Interstate Natural Gas
Association of America submitted a joint petition for
reconsideration of the gas transmission final rule on October 31,
2019. A copy of the petition is available for review at https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=PHMSA-2011-0023-0472. The petition
for reconsideration is currently under review by PHMSA; therefore,
PHMSA does not intend to address the issues raised by the petition
in the draft FAQs or at this meeting.
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As part of the implementation process, PHMSA has developed draft
FAQs for the new regulations. PHMSA subject matter experts on the two
rules will lead a discussion on the FAQs and proposed answers. PHMSA
will solicit additional FAQ topics on regulatory requirements from
operators, regulators, and the public. The FAQs are intended to assist
in the implementation of these final rules by providing clarification,
guidance, information sources, and affirmation to operators as they
strive to comply with new safety regulations. PHMSA has included the
initial set of draft FAQs for the meeting in Docket No. PHMSA-2019-
0225, and encourages the public to submit comments on the draft FAQs.
PHMSA intends for the public comments to help identify key areas
where additional clarifying information is necessary for operators and
the general public and to prioritize addressing those areas.
The final meeting agenda, presentations, clarifying statements, and
FAQs will be published on a publicly available DOT website at https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=146.
Issued in Washington, DC, on January 24, 2020, under authority
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Drue Pearce,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-01630 Filed 1-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P
