
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 228 (Monday, November 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85684-85685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28425]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2016-0128]


Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Voluntary Information-Sharing 
System Working Group

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Voluntary Information-Sharing System Working Group 
Meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting of the newly created 
Voluntary Information-Sharing System (VIS) Working Group. The VIS 
Working Group will convene to discuss administrative procedures and 
consider the development of a voluntary information-sharing system.

DATES: The VIS Working Group will meet on Monday, December 19, 2016, 
from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., EST.
    The meeting will not be web cast; however, any documents presented 
will be available on the meeting Web site and posted on the E-Gov Web 
site: http://www.regulations.gov under docket number PHMSA-2016-0128 
within 30 days following the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at a location yet to be determined 
in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. The meeting location, agenda 
and any additional information will be published on the following VIS 
Working Group and registration page at: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=122.

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=122 no later than 
December 16, 2016, in order to facilitate entry and guarantee seating. 
Members of the public who attend in person will also be provided an 
opportunity to make a statement during the meeting.
    Written comments: Persons who wish to submit written comments on 
the meeting may be submitted to the docket in the following ways:

[[Page 85685]]

    E-Gov Web site: 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 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 9:00 a.m. 
and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
    Instructions: Identify the docket number PHMSA-2016-0128 at the 
beginning of your comments. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to http://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 http://www.regulations.gov before submitting any such comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket or to read background documents or 
comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-
140 on the ground level of the DOT West Building, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 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-2016-0128.'' The Docket Clerk 
will date stamp the postcard prior to returning it to you via the U.S. 
mail.

Privacy Act Statement

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its rulemaking process. 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.

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 
Cheryl Whetsel at cheryl.whetsel@dot.gov by December 12, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the meeting, 
contact Cheryl Whetsel by phone at 202-366-4431 or by email at 
cheryl.whetsel@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The VIS Working Group is a newly created advisory committee 
established in accordance with Section 10 of the Protecting our 
Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2016 
(Pub. L. 114-183), the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972 (5 
U.S.C., App. 2, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.50(a).

II. Meeting Details and Agenda

    The VIS Working Group will consider and provide recommendations to 
the Secretary as specifically outlined in section 10 of Public Law 114-
183:
    (a) The need for, and the identification of, a system to ensure 
that dig verification data are shared with in-line inspection operators 
to the extent consistent with the need to maintain proprietary and 
security-sensitive data in a confidential manner to improve pipeline 
safety and inspection technology;
    (b) Ways to encourage the exchange of pipeline inspection 
information and the development of advanced pipeline inspection 
technologies and enhanced risk analysis;
    (c) Opportunities to share data, including dig verification data 
between operators of pipeline facilities and in-line inspector vendors 
to expand knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of the 
different types of in-line inspection technology and methodologies;
    (d) Options to create a secure system that protects proprietary 
data while encouraging the exchange of pipeline inspection information 
and the development of advanced pipeline inspection technologies and 
enhanced risk analysis;
    (e) Means and best practices for the protection of safety- and 
security-sensitive information and proprietary information; and
    (f) Regulatory, funding, and legal barriers to sharing the 
information described in paragraphs (a) through (d).
    The Secretary will publish the VIS Working Group's recommendations 
on a publicly available DOT Web site. The VIS Working Group will 
fulfill its purpose once its recommendations are published online.
    The agenda will be published on the PHMSA Web site.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2016, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Linda Daugherty,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations.
[FR Doc. 2016-28425 Filed 11-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-60-P


