Pipeline Safety: Statutory Mandate To Update Inspection and Maintenance Plans To Address Eliminating Hazardous Leaks and Minimizing Releases of Natural Gas From Pipeline Facilities

• Published date: 10 June 2021
• Citation: 86 FR 31002
• Pages: 31002-31003
• FR Document: 2021-12155
• Section: Notices
• Issuer: Transportation Department,Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration,Pipeline And Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

31002

Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 110/Thursday, June 10, 2021/Notices

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‘‘Understanding Global Warming Potentials,’’

U.S. EPA, available at https://www.epa.gov/

ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-

potentials.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

National Small Business Development

Center Advisory Board

AGENCY

: Small Business Administration.

ACTION

: Notice of open Federal Advisory

Committee meeting.

SUMMARY

: The SBA is issuing this notice

to announce the date, time and agenda

for a meeting of the National Small

Business Development Center Advisory

Board. The meeting will be open to the

public; however, advance notice of

attendance is required.

DATES

: Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 2:00

p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES

: Meeting will be held via

Microsoft Teams.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

:

Rachel Karton, Office of Small Business

Development Centers, U.S. Small

Business Administration, 409 Third

Street SW, Washington, DC 20416;

Rachel.newman-karton@sba.gov; 202–

619–1816.

If anyone wishes to be a listening

participant or would like to request

accommodations, please contact Rachel

Karton at the information above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

: Pursuant

to section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2),

the SBA announces the meetings of the

National SBDC Advisory Board. This

Board provides advice and counsel to

the SBA Administrator and Associate

Administrator for Small Business

Development Centers.

Purpose

The purpose of the meeting is to

discuss the following issues pertaining

to the SBDC Program:

•Cybersecurity

•Outreach to underserved communities

•Strategies for getting Small Business

back to normal

Andrienne Johnson,

Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 2021–12222 Filed 6–9–21; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials

Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA–2021–0050]

Pipeline Safety: Statutory Mandate To

Update Inspection and Maintenance

Plans To Address Eliminating

Hazardous Leaks and Minimizing

Releases of Natural Gas From Pipeline

Facilities

AGENCY

: Pipeline and Hazardous

Materials Safety Administration

(PHMSA); DOT.

ACTION

: Notice; issuance of advisory

bulletin.

SUMMARY

: PHMSA is issuing this

advisory bulletin to remind each owner

and operator of a pipeline facility that

the ‘‘Protecting our Infrastructure of

Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of

2020’’ (PIPES Act of 2020) contains a

self-executing mandate requiring

operators to update their inspection and

maintenance plans to address

eliminating hazardous leaks and

minimizing releases of natural gas

(including intentional venting during

normal operations) from their pipeline

facilities. Operators must also revise

their plans to address the replacement

or remediation of pipeline facilities that

are known to leak based on their

material, design, or past operating and

maintenance history. The statute

requires pipeline operators to complete

these updates by December 27, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

:

Sayler Palabrica, by phone at 202–366–

0559 or by email at Sayler.Palabrica@

dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

: Natural

gas is composed primarily of methane,

therefore leaks and other releases of

natural gas emit methane gas into the

atmosphere. According to the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA), methane is a potent greenhouse

gas with a global warming potential

(GWP) of 28–36 over 100 years.

1

Compared to carbon dioxide, methane

gas has a stronger warming effect, but a

shorter lifespan in the atmosphere. Due

to the high GWP and short lifespan of

methane gas in the atmosphere,

minimizing releases of natural gas (both

fugitive and vented emissions) has

relatively near-term benefits to

mitigating the consequences of climate

change. Likewise, remediation or

replacement of pipeline facilities that

are known to leak based on material,

design or past operating and

maintenance history can result in

enhanced public safety, environmental

protection, and economic benefits.

The ‘‘Protecting our Infrastructure of

Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of

2020’’ (Pub. L. 116–260, Division R;

‘‘PIPES Act of 2020’’) was signed into

law on December 27, 2020. This law

contains several provisions that

specifically address the elimination of

hazardous leaks and minimization of

releases of natural gas from pipeline

facilities. Section 114(b) of the PIPES

Act of 2020 contains self-executing

provisions that apply directly to

pipeline operators. This section requires

each pipeline operator to update its

inspection and maintenance plan

required under 49 U.S.C. 60108(a) no

later than one year after the date of

enactment of the PIPES Act of 2020 (i.e.,

by December 27, 2021) to address the

elimination of hazardous leaks and

minimization of releases of natural gas

(including, and not limited to,

intentional venting during normal

operations) from the operators’ pipeline

facilities (49 U.S.C. 60108(a)(2)(D)). The

PIPES Act of 2020 also requires those

plans to address the replacement or

remediation of pipelines that are known

to leak due to their material (including

cast iron, unprotected steel, wrought

iron, and historic plastics with known

issues), design, or past operating and

maintenance history (49 U.S.C.

60108(a)(2)(E)). In addition, 49 U.S.C.

60108(a)(2) requires that operators

continue updating these plans to meet

the requirements of any future

regulations related to leak detection and

repair that are promulgated under 49

U.S.C. 60102(q).

Advisory Bulletin (ADB–2021–01)

To: Owners and Operators of Gas and

Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Facilities.

Subject: Statutory Mandate to Update

Inspection and Maintenance Plans to

Address Eliminating Hazardous Leaks

and Minimizing Releases of Natural Gas

from Pipeline Facilities.

Advisory: The PIPES Act of 2020

contains self-executing provisions

requiring pipeline facility operators to

update their inspection and

maintenance plans to address the

elimination of hazardous leaks and

minimization of releases of natural gas

(including, and not limited to,

intentional venting during normal

operations) from their systems before

December 27, 2021. PHMSA expects

that operators will comply with the

inspection and maintenance plan

revisions required in the PIPES Act of

2020 by revising their operations and

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31003

Federal Register/Vol. 86, No. 110/Thursday, June 10, 2021/Notices

maintenance (O&M) plans required

under 49 CFR 192.605, 193.2017, and

195.402, to address the elimination of

hazardous leaks and minimize releases

of natural gas from pipeline facilities.

The plans must also address the

replacement or remediation of pipelines

that are known to leak due to their

material (including cast iron,

unprotected steel, wrought iron, and

historic plastics with known issues),

design, or past O&M history. The plans

must in be in writing, tailored to the

operator’s pipeline facilities, supported

by technical analysis where necessary,

and sufficiently detailed to clearly

describe the manner in which each

requirement is met. For additional

guidance on O&M plans for hazardous

liquid and natural gas pipeline facilities,

see ‘‘Operations & Maintenance

Enforcement Guidance,’’ part 192

subparts L and M, page 17, available at

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/

phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/regulatory-

compliance/pipeline/enforcement/5776/

o-m-enforcement-guidance-part-192-7-

21-2017.pdf; and ‘‘Operations &

Maintenance Enforcement Guidance,’’

part 195 subpart F, page 18, available at

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/

phmsa.dot.gov/files/docs/regulatory-

compliance/pipeline/enforcement/5781/

o-m-enforcement-guidance-part-195-7-

21-2017.pdf.

Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 60108(a)(3), as

amended by section 114(a) of the PIPES

Act of 2020, PHMSA and state

authorities with a certification under 49

U.S.C. 60105 will inspect operators’

revised O&M plans in calendar year

2022, and such inspections must be

completed by December 27, 2022.

During these inspections, PHMSA, or

the relevant state authority, is required

to evaluate whether the plans

adequately address items listed in

section 114 of the PIPES Act of 2020.

Operators need to consider the

following items as they update their

plans to comply with section 114 of the

PIPES Act of 2020:

•O&M plans must be detailed to

address the elimination of hazardous

leaks and minimization of releases of

natural gas from the operators’ pipeline

facilities; meaning pipeline operators

must update their plans to minimize,

among other things, fugitive emissions

and vented emissions from pipeline

facilities. PHMSA and state inspections,

therefore, will evaluate the steps taken

to prevent and mitigate both

unintentional, fugitive emissions as well

as intentional, vented emissions.

Fugitive emissions include any

unintentional leaks from equipment

such as pipelines, flanges, valves, meter

sets, or other equipment. Vented

emissions include any release of natural

gas to the atmosphere due to equipment

design or operations and maintenance

procedures. Common sources of vented

emissions include pneumatic device

bleeds, blowdowns, incomplete

combustion, or overpressure protection

venting (e.g., relief valves).

•O&M plans must address the

replacement or remediation of pipelines

that are known to leak based on the

material (including cast iron,

unprotected steel, wrought iron, and

historic plastics with known issues),

design, or past operating and

maintenance history of the pipeline.

PHMSA and state inspections will

include an evaluation of how the

material present in the pipeline system,

design of the system, as well as the past

O&M history of the system, contribute to

the leaks that occur on the system.

PHMSA and states will evaluate

whether the plans adequately address

reducing leaks on operators’ pipeline

systems due to the aforementioned

factors.

•Operators must carry out a current,

written O&M plan to address public

safety and the protection of the

environment. In addition to the new

statutory requirement that PHMSA and

state inspections consider the extent to

which the plans will contribute to the

elimination of hazardous leaks and

minimizing releases of natural gas from

pipeline facilities, PHMSA’s inspections

will continue to include an evaluation

of the extent to which the plans

contribute to both public safety and the

protection of the environment.

Developing and implementing

comprehensive written O&M plans is an

effective way to eliminate hazardous

leaks and minimize the release of

natural gas from pipeline systems.

PHMSA anticipates these self-executing

statutory mandates will result in

enhanced public safety and reductions

in pipeline emissions thereby reducing

impact on the environment.

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 4, 2021,

under authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.

Alan K. Mayberry,

Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.

[FR Doc. 2021–12155 Filed 6–9–21; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Office of the Comptroller of the

Currency

[Docket ID OCC–2021–0010]

Mutual Savings Association Advisory

Committee

AGENCY

: Department of the Treasury,

Office of the Comptroller of the

Currency (OCC).

ACTION

: Notice of federal advisory

committee meeting.

SUMMARY

: The OCC announces a

meeting of the Mutual Savings

Association Advisory Committee

(MSAAC).

DATES

: A virtual public meeting of the

MSAAC will be held on Tuesday, June

29, 2021, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern

Daylight Time (EDT).

ADDRESSES

: The OCC will host the June

29, 2021 meeting of the MSAAC

virtually.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

:

Michael R. Brickman, Deputy

Comptroller for Thrift Supervision,

(202) 649–5420, Office of the

Comptroller of the Currency,

Washington, DC 20219. You also may

access prior MSAAC meeting materials

on the MSAAC page of the OCC’s

website at Mutual Savings Association

Advisory Committee.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

: Under the

authority of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, and the

regulations implementing the Act at 41

CFR part 102–3, the OCC is announcing

that the MSAAC will convene a virtual

meeting on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. The

meeting is open to the public and will

begin at 9:00 a.m. EDT. The purpose of

the meeting is for the MSAAC to advise

the OCC on regulatory or other changes

the OCC may make to ensure the health

and viability of mutual savings

associations. The agenda includes a

discussion of current topics of interest

to the industry.

Members of the public may submit

written statements to the MSAAC. The

OCC must receive written statements no

later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday,

June 24, 2021. Members of the public

may submit written statements to

MSAAC@occ.treas.gov.

Members of the public who plan to

attend the virtual meeting should

contact the OCC by 5:00 p.m. EDT on

Thursday, June 24, 2021, to inform the

OCC of their desire to attend the

meeting and to obtain information about

participating in the meeting. Members

of the public may contact the OCC via

email at MSAAC@OCC.treas.gov or by

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