[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 29 (Monday, February 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6087-6088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02739]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2016-0136]


Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee

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

ACTION: Notice of advisory committee meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces a public teleconference meeting of the 
Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, also known as the Gas 
Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC). The GPAC will meet to continue 
discussing topics and provisions for the proposed rule titled ``Safety 
of Gas Transmission and Gathering Pipelines.''

DATES: The meeting will be held on March 2, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 
5:00 p.m. ET. Members of the public who wish to participate are asked 
to register no later than February 22, 2018. Individuals requiring 
accommodations, such as sign language interpretation or other ancillary 
aids, may notify PHMSA by February 22, 2018. For additional 
information, see the ADDRESSES section.

ADDRESSES: This public meeting will be held via teleconference. Members 
of the public may join the teleconference individually, or join the 
teleconference in a designated space at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. 
Please note that limited space is available for in-person attendance at 
DOT, and procedures governing security and the entrance to Federal 
buildings may change without notice. Therefore, members of the public 
seeking to participate in the teleconference at DOT must register on 
the pipeline advisory committee meeting and registration page at: 
https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=131. Members of 
the public who will join the teleconference from other locations are 
also encouraged to register. PHMSA will post the final agenda and any 
additional information on the pipeline advisory committee meeting and 
registration page.
    Presentations will be available on the meeting page and posted on 
the E-Gov website, http://www.regulations.gov, under docket number 
PHMSA-2016-0136 within 30 days following the meeting.

Public Participation

    Anyone wishing to make a statement on the topics discussed during 
the meeting should send an email to [email protected] by the date 
specified in the DATES section. Each statement should not exceed two 
minutes.
    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 
[email protected].
    Written comments: Persons who wish to submit written comments on 
the meeting may submit them to the docket 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 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-2016-0136 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. Anyone can 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, 
consider reviewing 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-2016-0136.'' 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this meeting 
contact Cheryl Whetsel by phone at 202-366-4431 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Meeting Details and Agenda

    The GPAC will be considering the proposed rule titled, ``Safety of 
Gas Transmission and Gathering Pipelines,''

[[Page 6088]]

which was published in the Federal Register on April 8, 2016, (81 FR 
20722) and on the associated regulatory analysis. In the proposed rule, 
PHMSA proposed the following changes to Part 192:
     Require periodic assessments of pipelines in locations 
where persons are expected to be at risk that are not already covered 
under the integrity management (IM) program requirements.
     Modify the repair criteria, both inside and outside of 
high consequence areas (HCAs).
     Require inspections of pipelines in areas affected by 
extreme weather, man-made and natural disasters, and other similar 
events.
     Provide additional specificity for in-line inspections, 
including explicit requirements to account for uncertainty of reported 
inspection data when evaluating in-line inspection data to identify 
anomalies.
     Expand integrity assessment methods to explicitly address 
guided wave ultrasonic inspection and excavation with direct in-situ 
examination.
     Provide clearer functional requirements for conducting 
risk assessments for IM, including addressing seismic risks.
     Expand the mandatory data collection and integration 
requirements for IM, including data validation and seismicity.
     Add requirements to address management of change.
     Repeal the use of API Recommended Practice 80 for 
gathering lines.
     Apply Type B requirements along with emergency 
requirements to newly regulated greater than 8-inch Type A gathering 
lines in Class 1 locations (GAO Recommendation 14-667).
     Extend the reporting requirements to all gathering lines.
     Expand requirements for corrosion protection to specify 
additional post-construction quality checks, and periodic operational 
and maintenance checks to address coating integrity, cathodic 
protection, and gas quality monitoring.
     Require operators to report maximum allowable operating 
pressure exceedances.
     Require safety features on in-line inspection tool 
launchers and receivers.
     Add certain types of roadways to the definition of 
``identified sites'' (NTSB P-14-1).
     Address grandfathered pipe and pipe with inadequate 
records.
    The GPAC meeting agenda will include the following discussion 
items:
     Strengthening IM Assessment Methods
     Assessments outside of HCAs
     Record Retention Requirements
     Repair Criteria (inside and outside of HCAs)

II. Committee Background

    The GPAC is a statutorily mandated advisory committee that advises 
PHMSA on proposed gas pipeline safety standards and their associated 
risk assessments. The committee is established in accordance with the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2, as amended) and 49 
U.S.C. 60115. The committee consists of 15 members with membership 
evenly divided among federal and state governments, the regulated 
industry, and the general public. The committee advises PHMSA on the 
technical feasibility, reasonableness, cost-effectiveness, and 
practicability of each proposed pipeline safety standard.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 6, 2018, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2018-02739 Filed 2-9-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-60-P


