[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 218 (Thursday, November 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 63355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30279]



[[Page 63355]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs Administration


Issuance of Advisory Bulletin

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs Administration, (RSPA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice; issuance of advisory bulletin.

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SUMMARY: We are issuing this advisory bulletin to owners and operators 
of Hazardous Liquid and Natural Gas Pipelines. The bulletin advises the 
industry about the potential for damage to pipeline facilities caused 
by the passage of Hurricane Georges.

ADDRESSES: This document can be viewed on our home page at: http//
ops.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Daugherty, (202) 366-4577.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The purpose of this Notice is to advise all operators of natural 
gas and hazardous liquid pipelines located in offshore waters of the 
Gulf of Mexico of recurring safety problems that may be resulting from 
the passage of Hurricane Georges. Operators should be advised that we 
have received several reports of damage to pipeline facilities, 
particularly in the area bounded, East of the Mississippi River and 
West of Mobil Bay.
    Several mudslides in this area may have exposed pipelines which 
could pose a safety threat to the crews of fishing vessels in shallow 
coastal waters and to other marine operations in shipping lanes and 
deeper offshore waters. Extensive onshore flooding may also have 
exposed or weakened facilities. We are working with the Minerals 
Management Service, the Coast Guard, and the Army Corps of Engineers to 
address the potential hazards of exposed or weakened pipeline 
facilities in areas affected by Hurricane Georges. This Notice reminds 
operators of offshore pipelines that may have been affected by flooding 
of Federal pipeline safety requirements. We are advising pipeline 
operators of similar problems that may occur in inland navigable 
waterways. Also, we are advising the commercial fishing industry of the 
potential of unburied offshore pipelines by sending this Notice to 
Louisiana Shrimp Association, Texas Shrimp Association, Southeastern 
Fisheries Association, National Fish Meal & Oil Association, and 
Concerned Shrimpers of America. Pipeline operators or mariners aware of 
any damage or exposure to a portion of a submerged pipeline should 
report that information to the appropriate US Coast Guard District. The 
Coast Guard has issued a radio advisory to vessel operators operating 
in or near the mouth of the Mississippi and an advisory in its Notice 
to Mariners.

II. Advisory Bulletin (ADB-98-3)

    To: Owners and Operators of Hazardous Liquid and Natural Gas 
Pipelines.
    Subject: Recurring safety problems which may be resulting from the 
passage of Hurricane Georges.
    Purpose: We are advising all operators of natural gas and hazardous 
liquid pipelines located in offshore waters and other areas that may 
have been impacted by flooding due to the passage of Hurricane Georges. 
The recent passage of Hurricane Georges and major storms may have 
contributed to the exposure or instability of pipelines in the vicinity 
of the Gulf of Mexico.
    Advisory: On October 1, 1998, a 10-inch pipeline located in the 
Gulf of Mexico south of the Mississippi River; in an unstable mudslide 
area with a water depth of 108 feet, ruptured and released an estimated 
3,700 barrels of crude oil. Other reported incidents include pipeline 
exposures and natural gas and hazardous liquid releases.
    Our pipeline regulations require operators to patrol their lines 
periodically for the presence of unusual operating and maintenance 
conditions and to take corrective action if conditions are unsafe. 
Because this patrolling is generally done using aircraft, pipelines 
exposed or damaged on the seafloor can not be visually detected. It is 
likely that some pipelines located in the area of Hurricane Georges' 
impact are exposed or damaged. It is important to note that if a 
pipeline operator has knowledge that its pipeline is exposed or 
otherwise presenting a danger to the public or the environment, 49 CFR 
sections 192.613 and 192.703 applicable to gas pipeline operators, and 
49 CFR section 195.401 applicable to hazardous liquid pipeline 
operators would require the operator to take steps to mitigate the 
hazard. Additionally, 49 CFR sections 192.612(b) and 195.413(b) require 
that, if upon notification by any person, an operator discovers that a 
pipeline it operates is exposed on the seabed or constitutes a hazard 
to navigation, it shall promptly notify the National Response Center 
(1-800-424-8802) with the geographic coordinates of that pipeline, mark 
the location of the pipeline in accordance with 64 CFR, and within six 
months of discovery, place the pipeline so that the top of the pipe is 
36 inches below the seabed for normal excavation or 18 inches for rock 
excavation.
    In view of the above, pipeline operators should consider taking the 
following actions regarding the natural gas and hazardous liquid 
pipelines located in areas impacted by Hurricane Georges.
    1. Identify and caution persons who normally engage in commercial 
fishing, shrimping, and other marine vessel operations in shallow 
coastal waters where Hurricane Georges may have affected a pipeline. 
Submerged offshore pipelines may have become unprotected on the ocean 
floor. Marine vessels operating in water depths comparable to a 
vessel's draft or when operating bottom dragging equipment can be 
damaged and their crews endangered by an encounter with a submerged 
pipeline. The pipeline company's public education and damage prevention 
programs may be used to facilitate this notification process. Pipeline 
operators may want to consider a joint public education effort in areas 
of common concern.
    2. Identify and caution marine vessel operators in offshore 
shipping lanes and other offshore areas where Hurricane Georges may 
have affected a pipeline that deploying fishing nets or anchors, and 
dredging operations may damage the pipeline, their vessels, and 
endanger their crews. The pipeline company's public education and 
damage prevention programs may be used to facilitate this notification 
process. Pipeline operators may want to consider a joint public 
education effort in areas of common concern.
    3. Identify and correct any conditions on the pipeline that could 
violate pipeline safety requirements, and the terms and conditions of 
the pipeline's Corps of Engineers permit.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on November 6, 1998.
Richard B. Felder,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 98-30279 Filed 11-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P