[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-14341]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 14, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs Administration

49 CFR Parts 192 and 195

 

Underground Storage of Gas and Hazardous Liquids

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) 
invites representatives of industry, state and local government, and 
the public to an open meeting on underground storage of gas and 
hazardous liquids. The purpose of this meeting is to gather information 
on the extent of current regulation, and to help determine the proper 
action for RSPA to take regarding federal regulation of underground 
storage of gas and hazardous liquids, other than in tankage.

DATES: The meeting will be held on July 20, 1994, from 9 a.m until 4 
p.m., local time.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Doubletree Hotel, 
Intercontinental Airport, 15747 JFK Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77032 
[Telephone 713-442-8000 or 800-810-8001]. The transcript of the meeting 
will be available for inspection and copying in Room 8421, Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590 between the 
hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. each working day.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack Willock, (202) 366-2392, 
regarding the subject matter of this notice, or the Dockets Unit, (202) 
366-4453, regarding copies of this notice or other material in the 
docket that is referenced in this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Approximately 1,400 liquid and 400 natural 
gas underground storage facilities are located in the contiguous United 
States. These storage facilities include aquifers, depleted oil and gas 
fields, and solution mined formations and salt domes. The number of gas 
facilities in operation is increasing rapidly [mostly in salt domes due 
to low cost and high gas output from storage (deliverability)]. Many 
facilities are not regulated by the states.
    The hazards of operating such facilities include subsidence, 
subsurface communication between storage reservoirs, blowouts, 
fractures, deficient design, improper operation and maintenance, and 
salt flows. Any of these hazards can result in death, injury, property 
damage, and environmental damage. For example, 3 people died and 21 
were injured in an explosion at a salt dome storage site near Brenham, 
Texas on April 7, 1992. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 
determined that the accident resulted from deficiencies in the design 
of the Brenham facility, the most important being the lack of a fail-
safe cavern shut-down system. NTSB made a broad recommendation that 
RSPA develop safety requirements for underground storage of gas and 
highly volatile liquids.
    The American Petroleum Institute (API) is developing standards for 
solution-mined storage caverns, Recommended Practice (RP) 1114, Design 
of Solution Mined Underground Storage Facilities, and RP 1115, 
Operation of Solution Mined Underground Storage Facilities). API 
anticipates publishing both standards in 1994. The American Gas 
Association (AGA) is developing a standard, in coordination with API, 
for other geologic underground facilities.
    RSPA is holding a public meeting to seek information and comment 
from the public for consideration in determining whether rulemaking is 
needed and, if so, the proper regulatory action to take. Anticipated 
topics to be discussed by commenters at the meeting include, but are 
not limited to the following:
    1. A description of the types of storage configurations and the 
problems and risks associated with each.
    2. Should federal regulations be issued to address the potential 
hazards of underground storage of gas and hazardous liquids?
    3. Would API RP 1114 and 1115 and other standards under development 
address the risks and should they be incorporated into federal 
regulations?
    4. If regulations are needed, should these regulations be federal 
or state? Should the underground storage of both gas and hazardous 
liquids be regulated?
    5. If regulations are needed, should the regulations cover only 
surface requirements: i.e., equipment, O&M and safety procedures? Or, 
should both surface and subsurface regulations be issued?
    6. Which states have (1) authority to regulate underground storage 
and (2) regulations covering such storage?
    Interested persons are invited to attend the meeting and present 
oral or written statements on the matters set for the meeting. Any 
person who wishes to make oral statements at the meeting should notify 
Daphene Floyd (202-366-1640) before July 2, 1994, stating the time 
needed for the statement.
    Interested parties that are not scheduled to comment will have an 
opportunity to comment only after approval of the meeting officer.

(49 App. U.S.C. 1672 and 1804; 49 CFR 1.53.)

    Issued in Washington, DC on June 7, 1994.
George W. Tenley, Jr.,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 94-14341 Filed 6-13-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P