[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30153-30154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-13930]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Research and Special Programs Administration
[Docket No. P-94-2W; Notice 1]


Transportation of Hazardous Liquid by Pipeline Petition for 
Waiver; Alyeska Pipeline Service Company

SUMMARY: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (Alyeska) has petitioned the 
Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) for an amendment to 
the May 19, 1975, waiver from compliance with the coating and cathodic 
protection requirements of 49 CFR 195.238(a)(5) and 195.242(a) 
regarding buried mainline insulated piping. RSPA proposes to grant the 
amendment with the noted stipulations.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 24, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: L.E. Herrick, 202-366-5523 regarding 
the subject matter of this notice or the Dockets Unit, 202-366-5046, 
regarding copies of this notice or other material that is referenced 
herein.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to the Dockets Branch, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, 
20590. All comments and Docket material may be reviewed in the Dockets 
Branch, room 8421, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday 
through Friday, except federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By letters dated March 19 and May 3, 1975, 
Alyeska requested a waiver from compliance with the coating and 
cathodic protection requirements of 49 CFR 195.238(a)(5) and 195.242(a) 
with respect to thermally insulated mainline piping on the Trans-Alaska 
Pipeline System (TAPS). 49 CFR 195.238(a)(5) requires that each 
component in a hazardous liquid pipeline that is to be buried or 
submerged must have an external protective coating that supports any 
supplemental cathodic protection. In addition, if an insulating-type 
coating is used, it must have low moisture absorption and provide high 
electrical resistance. 49 CFR 195.242(a) requires a cathodic protection 
system be installed for all buried or submerged hazardous liquid 
facilities to mitigate corrosion that might result in a structural 
failure. A test procedure must be developed to determine whether 
adequate cathodic protection has been achieved.
    The affected areas were specified as (1) three special buried, 
refrigerated sections totaling 4.3 miles, (2) approximately 240 short 
buried transitions sections, each approximately 60-80 feet, and (3) 
approximately 20 buried ``sag bend'' sections each approximately 120 
feet long.
    On May 19, 1975, RSPA granted Alyeska the requested waiver (Docket 
No. Pet. 75-41). The waiver was granted on the premise that the applied 
thermal insulation design would mitigate corrosion from occurring under 
insulation. Although the thermal insulation design has been generally 
effective on the buried insulated mainline piping in preventing thawing 
of the permafrost and external corrosion that requires repair based on 
structural analysis of the pipe using methods prescribed by 49 CFR 
195.416(h), the design has not prevented all corrosion from occurring.
    During routine internal inspection tool corrosion surveys, Alyeska 
reported evidence of corrosion on 300 of 1850 approximately 40 foot 
long pipe joints covered by the waiver (16 percent). Alyeska reported 
this corrosion to OPS on September 2, 1994 by letter. To date, all 
fifteen joints that have been excavated have been found to have non-
injurious corrosion.
    Accordingly, RSPA proposes to amend the May 1975 waiver prohibiting 
further installations on TAPS of buried mainline piping coated with 
thermal insulation not meeting all coating and cathodic protection 
requirements of CFR 195.238(a)(5) and 195.242(a).
    RSPA further proposes to allow Alyeska to continue under the May 
1975 waiver regarding coating and cathodic [[Page 30154]] protection 
requirements of 49 CFR 195.238(a)(5) and 195.242(a) for existing 
insulated piping addressed by the waiver, subject to the following 
amendments:
    1. Alyeska will continue to inspect all thermally insulated 
mainline pipe by a program of annual internal inspection tool corrosion 
surveys capable of detecting and assessing potentially injurious 
corrosion. RSPA's Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) and Alyeska concur 
that Alyeska should conduct the next internal inspection tool corrosion 
survey during the spring of 1996, a period of approximately 18 months 
from the previous survey. This one-time deviation from an annual 
schedule is required to place the timing of internal inspection tool 
corrosion surveys in the early spring of the year.
    Running the survey in the spring of 1996 will minimize the adverse 
affects of wax precipitation on data quality, which would be 
encountered if a summer or fall 1995 survey were conducted and will 
avoid the serious weather constraints of a survey taking place during 
the 1995/1996 winter. Running the survey in the spring of 1996 will 
permit the completion of scheduled improvements to the corrosion 
inspection tool. Running the survey in the spring of 1996 will also 
allow full evaluation of that data with data from the survey conducted 
during the summer/fall of 1994.
    Subsequent internal inspection tool surveys will continue to be 
conducted annually until OPS determines from the technical data 
presented by Alyeska that a reduced monitoring frequency is justified.
    2. If evaluation of the internal inspection tool corrosion survey 
data indicates areas of potentially injurious corrosion:
    A. An excavation and evaluation of actual corrosion found shall be 
made in accordance with 49 CFR 195.416(h) to determine if structural 
repairs are necessary.
    B. Structural repairs, if required shall be made in accordance with 
requirements of ASME B31.4 and Alyeska's Maintenance and Repair Manual 
(MR-48).
    C. Recoating and cathodic protection of excavated piping will be 
applied in accordance with the requirements of 49 CFR 195.238(a)(5) and 
195.242(a).
    3. Alyeska will submit to OPS the following engineering studies, 
which may provide the technical basis for future modification of this 
proposed waiver.
    A. A detailed study of all insulated joints with identified 
corrosion including a comparison with joints previously identified as 
being corroded. Results will be used to evaluate the ability of 
internal inspection tools used on the TAPS to reliably and repeatedly 
detect, measure and assess corrosion that may impact structural 
integrity. Results of this study may also be used to provide the most 
desirable location to do at least one investigation of the corrosion 
mechanism described in item 3B below.
    B. A completed analysis of mechanisms of corrosion under insulation 
to determine if the observed corrosion is active or dormant will be 
completed. This study will include review of internal inspection tool 
corrosion survey data, field observations from at least one dig and 
laboratory testing to confirm corrosion mechanisms. Field testing may 
include the installation of corrosion monitoring devices such as 
electrical resistance probes or corrosion rate coupons.
    C. No later than December 1, 1996, a completed feasibility study of 
remediation designs and options to be used for the effective control of 
corrosion under mainline insulated piping. The feasibility study will 
consider corrosion mechanisms determined previously. A schedule will be 
provided so that OPS will have the opportunity to witness the internal 
inspection tool corrosion survey evaluation and installation of any 
remedial corrective systems.
    Interested parties are invited to comment on the proposed amendment 
to waiver by submitting in duplicate such data, views, or arguments as 
they may desire. RSPA specifically requests comments on the adequacy of 
the proposed action regarding 195.238(a)(5) and 195.242(a). Comments 
should identify the Docket and Notice numbers, and be submitted to the 
Dockets Unit.
    All comments received before July 24, 1995 will be considered 
before final action is taken. Late filed comments will be considered so 
far as practicable. No public hearing is contemplated, but one may be 
held at a time and place set in a Notice in the Federal Register if 
requested by an interested person desiring to comment at a public 
hearing and raising a genuine issue.

    Issued in Washington, DC on June 1, 1995.
Cesar De Leon,
Acting Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 95-13930 Filed 6-6-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P