[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 29, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44931-44932]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-21345]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket No. P-94-2W; Notice 2]


Alyeska Pipeline Service Company; Transportation of Hazardous 
Liquid by Pipeline, Grant of Waiver

SUMMARY: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (Alyeska) is being granted a 
waiver by the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) which 
will amend 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) for buried mainline insulated piping.

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 29, 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 7, 1995, RSPA published a notice in 
the Federal Register (60 FR 30153, June 7, 1995) proposing to issue a 
waiver to Alyeska amending the existing waiver on mainline piping 
corrosion control operations. Public comment on the proposal was 
requested. No comments were received. Therefore, RSPA is granting the 
waiver as proposed.

Background

    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 that a cathodic protection system be installed 
for all buried or submerged hazardous liquid facilities to mitigate 
corrosion that might result in a structural failure.
    The affected areas were specified as (1) three buried, refrigerated 
sections totalling 4.3 miles in length, (2) approximately 240 short 
buried transition sections, each approximately 60-80 feet in length, 
and (3) approximately 20 buried ``sag bend'' sections, each 
approximately 120 feet in length.
    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 
the insulation. Although the thermal insulation design has been 
generally effective on the buried insulated mainline piping in 
preventing thawing of the permafrost and in preventing 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 1,850 40-foot long pipe joints 
covered by the original waiver (16 percent). Alyeska reported this 
corrosion by letter to RSPA's Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) on 
September 2, 1994. To date, all fifteen joints that have been excavated 
have been found to have noninjurious corrosion.
    Accordingly, RSPA will prohibit further installation 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 will allow Alyeska to continue under the original waiver for 
the coating and catholic protection requirements of CFR 195.238(a)(5) 
and 195.242(a) for existing insulated piping, subject to the following:
    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. Alyeska will conduct the next internal inspection tool 
corrosion survey during the spring of 1996, a period of approximately 
18 months from the previous survey. This is a one-time deviation from 
an annual schedule.
    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 CFR 195.416(h) to determine if 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 shall be 
applied in accordance with the requirements of 49 CFR 195.238(a)(5) and 
195.242(a).
    3. Alyeska shall submit to OPS the following engineering studies 
which may provide the technical basis for future modification of this 
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 the 
internal inspection tools used on the TAPS to reliably and repeatably 
detect, measure, and assess corrosion that may impact structural 
integrity. Results of this study may also be used to determine the most 
desirable location for at least one investigation of the corrosion 
mechanism described in item 3B below.
    B. An analysis of mechanisms of corrosion under insulation to 
determine if the observed corrosion is active or inactive 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. 

[[Page 44932]]

    C. No later than December 1, 1996, a feasibility study of 
remediation designs and options to be used for the effective control of 
corrosion under mainline insulated piping will be completed. 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.
    In view of these reasons and those stated in the foregoing 
discussion, RSPA, by this order, finds that a waiver of compliance with 
49 CFR 195.238(a)(5) and 195.242(a) is consistent with pipeline safety. 
Accordingly, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company's petition from 
compliance with the above stipulations is hereby granted.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on August 23, 1995.
Richard B. Felder,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 95-21345 Filed 8-28-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P