Pipeline Safety: Request for Special Permits
| Published date | 19 November 2019 |
| Citation | 84 FR 63959 |
| Record Number | 2019-25045 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Pipeline And Hazardous Materials Safety Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 223 (Tuesday, November 19, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 223 (Tuesday, November 19, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63959-63961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25045]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Pipeline Safety: Request for Special Permits
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0080] Williams--Transcontinental Gas Pipeline
Company
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0081] Williams--Transcontinental Gas Pipeline
Company
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0082] Williams--Transcontinental Gas Pipeline
Company
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0083] Williams--Transcontinental Gas Pipeline
Company
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0084] Williams--Transcontinental Gas Pipeline
Company
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0085] Williams--Transcontinental Gas Pipeline
Company
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0142] Williams--Northwest Pipeline Company
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA);
DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comment on
several requests for special permit from Williams --Transcontinental
Gas Pipeline Company (Transco) and Williams--Northwest Pipeline Company
(Northwest), seeking relief from compliance with certain requirements
in the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations. After 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 requests.
DATES: Submit any comments regarding these special permit requests by
December 19, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Comments should reference the docket number for the specific
special permit request and may be submitted in the following ways:
E-Gov Website: http://www.Regulations.gov. This site
allows the public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice
issued by any agency.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management System: U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: Docket Management System: U.S. Department
of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, between
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
Instructions: You should identify the docket number for the special
permit request you are commenting on at the beginning of your comments.
If you submit your comments by mail, please submit two copies. To
receive confirmation that PHMSA has received your comments, please
include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Internet users may submit
comments at http://www.Regulations.gov.
Privacy Act: There is a privacy statement published on http://www.Reglations.gov. Comments, including any personal information
provided, are posted without changes or edits to http://www.Regulations.gov.
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 notice 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 notice, 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 ``PROPIN'' or
``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 notice. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Ms.
Kay McIver at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, E24-443, Washington, DC 20590,
or emailed to her at [email protected]. Any commentary PHMSA receives
that is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public
docket for this matter.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
General: Ms. Kay McIver by telephone at 202-366-0113, or email at
[email protected].
Technical: Mr. Steve Nanney by telephone at 713-272-2855, or by
email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PHMSA received six (6) special permit
requests from the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Transco, and one (1)
special permit request from Northwest. Transco and Northwest are
subsidiaries of the Williams Company. Transco and Northwest operate
interstate gas transmission pipelines and both are seeking waivers from
49 CFR 192.611 for segments where the class location has changed from a
Class 1 to a Class 3 location.
The requests, proposed special permits with conditions, and Draft
Environmental Assessments (DEAs) for the Transco and Northwest
pipelines are available for public view and comments in the respective
dockets at http://www.Regulations.gov. We invite interested persons to
participate by reviewing the special permit requests and DEAs at
https://www.Regulations.gov, and by submitting written comments, data,
or other views. Please include any comments on potential safety and
environmental impacts that may result if the special permit is granted.
Details of the six (6) Transco and one (1) Northwest requested
special permits are as follows:
[[Page 63960]]
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Docket No. Requester Regulation(s) Nature of special permit
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PHMSA-2019-0080.................. Transcontinental Gas 49 CFR 192.611..... To authorize Transco a special
Pipe Line Company, permit to waive compliance with
LLC (Transco). the requirements of 49 CFR
192.611 ``Change in Class
Location: Confirmation or
Revision of Maximum Allowable
Operating Pressure''. This
special permit is being requested
in lieu of pipe replacement or
pressure reduction for three (3)
special permit segments of 0.19
miles of 30-inch diameter
pipeline located on Mainline
``A'' in Guilford County, North
Carolina, where the class
location has changed from Class 1
to Class 3 location in 2017.
Mainline ``A'' is a 1,750-mile
interstate pipeline in the 10,500-
mile Transco system that begins
in Texas and runs northeast along
the eastern side of the
Appalachian Mountains to the New
York City metropolitan area.
Mainline ``A'' was installed in
1950 and transports natural gas
from the Gulf of Mexico and the
Marcellus region of Pennsylvania
to population centers, industrial
customers, and other pipelines.
Transco operates the Mainline
``A'' proposed special permit
segments in the Guilford County,
North Carolina area at a maximum
allowable operating pressure
(MAOP) of 780 pounds per square
inch gauge (psig).
PHMSA-2019-0081.................. Transcontinental Gas 49 CFR 192.611..... To authorize Transco a special
Pipe Line Company, permit to waive compliance with
LLC (Transco). the requirements of 49 CFR
192.611 ``Change in Class
Location: Confirmation or
Revision of Maximum Allowable
Operating Pressure''. This
special permit is being requested
in lieu of pipe replacement or
pressure reduction for one (1)
special permit segment of 0.36
miles of 30-inch diameter
pipeline located on Mainline
``A'' in Hartford County,
Maryland, where the class
location has changed from Class 1
to Class 3 location in 2017.
Mainline ``A'' is a 1,750-mile
interstate pipeline in the 10,500-
mileTransco system that begins in
Texas and runs northeast along
the eastern side of the
Appalachian Mountains to New York
City metropolitan area. Mainline
``A'' was installed in 1950 and
transports natural gas from the
Gulf of Mexico and the Marcellus
region of Pennsylvania to
population centers, industrial
customers and other pipelines.
The MAOP for Mainline ``A'' in the
special permit segment is 780
psig.
PHMSA-2019-0082.................. Transcontinental Gas 49 CFR 192.611..... To authorize Transco a special
Pipe Line Company, permit to waive compliance with
LLC (Transco). the requirements of 49 CFR
192.611 ``Change in Class
Location: Confirmation or
Revision of Maximum Allowable
Operating Pressure''. This
special permit is being requested
in lieu of pipe replacement or
pressure reduction for one (1)
special permit segment of 0.35
miles of 30-inch diameter
pipeline located on Mainline
``B'' in Hartford County,
Maryland, where the class
location has changed from Class 1
to Class 3 location in 2017.
Mainline ``B'' is a 1,525-mile
interstate pipeline in the 10,500-
mile Transco system that begins
in Texas and runs northeast along
the eastern side of the
Appalachian Mountains to New York
City metropolitan area. Mainline
``B'' was installed in 1955 and
transports natural gas from the
Gulf of Mexico and the Marcellus
region of Pennsylvania to
population centers, industrial
customers and other pipelines.
The MAOP for Mainline ``B'' in the
special permit segment is 780
psig.
PHMSA-2019-0083.................. Transcontinental Gas 49 CFR 192.611..... To authorize Transco a special
Pipe Line Company, permit to waive compliance with
LLC (Transco). the requirements of 49 CFR
192.611 ``Change in Class
Location: Confirmation or
Revision of Maximum Allowable
Operating Pressure''. This
special permit is being requested
in lieu of pipe replacement or
pressure reduction for one (1)
special permit segment where the
class location has changed from
Class 1 to Class 3 location in
2017, and eleven (11) additional
special permit segments that
experienced class changes in 2008
and 2015. The total mileage of
all special permit segments is
2.36 miles of 30-inch diameter
pipeline. These changes are on
the pipeline segments located on
Mainline ``A'' in Greenville
County, South Carolina. Mainline
``A'' is a 1,750-mile interstate
pipeline in the 10,500-mile
Transco system that begins in
Texas and runs northeast along
the eastern side of the
Appalachian Mountains to New York
City metropolitan area. Mainline
``A'' was installed in 1950 and
transports natural gas from the
Gulf of Mexico and the Marcellus
region of Pennsylvania to
population centers, industrial
customers, and other pipelines.
The MAOP for Mainline ``A''
special permit segments are
either 780 psig or 650 psig.
Transco is proposing to uprate
the MAOPs of eleven (11) special
permit segments that operate at
650 psig to 780 psig.
PHMSA-2019-0084.................. Transcontinental Gas 49 CFR 192.611..... To authorize Transco a special
Pipe Line Company, permit to waive compliance with
LLC (Transco). the requirements of 49 CFR
192.611 ``Change in Class
Location: Confirmation or
Revision of Maximum Allowable
Operating Pressure''. This
special permit is being requested
in lieu of pipe replacement or
pressure reduction for one (1)
special permit segment of
pipeline located on Mainline
``B'' in Greenville County, South
Carolina where the class location
has changed from Class 1 to Class
3 location in 2017, and twelve
(12) additional segments that
experienced class changes in 2008
and 2015. The total mileage of
all special permit segments is
2.18 miles of 36-inch diameter
pipeline. Mainline ``B'' is a
1,525-mile interstate pipeline in
the 10,500-mile Transco natural
gas system that begins in Texas
and runs northeast along the
eastern side of the Appalachian
Mountains to New York City
metropolitan area. Mainline ``B''
was installed in 1957 and
transports natural gas from the
Gulf of Mexico and the Marcellus
region of Pennsylvania to
population centers, industrial
customers, and other pipelines.
The MAOPs for Mainline ``B'' in
the special permit segments are
either 780 psig or 704 psig.
Transco is proposing to uprate
the MAOPs for twelve (12) special
permit segments that operate at
704 psig to 780 psig.
[[Page 63961]]
PHMSA-2019-0085.................. Transcontinental Gas 49 CFR 192.611..... To authorize Transco a special
Pipe Line Company, permit to waive compliance with
LLC (Transco). the requirements of 49 CFR
192.611 ``Change in Class
Location: Confirmation or
Revision of Maximum Allowable
Operating Pressure''. This
special permit is being requested
in lieu of pipe replacement or
pressure reduction for two (2)
special permit segment of 0.26
miles of 36-inch diameter
pipeline located on Mainline
``C'' in Greenville County, South
Carolina, where the class
location has changed from Class 1
to Class 3 location in 2017 and
2018. Mainline ``C'' is a 1,345-
mile interstate pipeline in the
10,500-mile Transco system that
begins in Texas and runs
northeast along the eastern side
of the Appalachian Mountains to
New York City metropolitan area.
Mainline ``C'' was installed in
1961 and transports natural gas
from the Gulf of Mexico and the
Marcellus region of Pennsylvania
to population centers, industrial
customers, and other pipelines.
The MAOP for Mainline ``C'' in the
special permit segment is 780
psig.
PHMSA-2019-0142.................. Northwest Pipeline 49 CFR 192.611..... To authorize Northwest a special
Company, LLC permit to waive compliance with
(Northwest). the requirements of 49 CFR
192.611 ``Change in Class
Location: Confirmation or
Revision of Maximum Allowable
Operating Pressure''. This
special permit is being requested
in lieu of pipe replacement or
pressure reduction for one (1)
special permit segment of 0.13
miles of 20-inch diameter
pipeline located on the Spokane
Lateral in Franklin County,
Washington, where the class
location has changed from Class 1
to Class 3 location in 2018. The
Spokane Lateral is a 165- mile
interstate transmission pipeline
and transports natural gas from
Plymouth, Washington to the
Spokane, Washington area.
The MAOP for the Spokane Lateral
in the special permit segment is
811 psig.
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Before issuing a decision on the special permit requests, PHMSA
will evaluate all comments received on or before the comment closing
date. Comments received after the closing date will be evaluated if it
is possible to do so without incurring additional expense or delay.
PHMSA will consider each relevant comment we receive in making our
decision to grant or deny a request.
Issued in Washington, DC, under authority delegated in 49 CFR
1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2019-25045 Filed 11-18-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P
