[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 41 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10475-10476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4124]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. RSPA-05-20323; Notice 1]


Pipeline Safety: Petition for Waiver; Northern Natural Gas 
Company

AGENCY: Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice; petition for waiver.

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SUMMARY: Northern Natural Gas Company (NNG) petitioned the Office of 
Pipeline Safety (OPS) for a waiver from the requirements of 49 CFR 
192.625(b)(3), Ordorization of gas. This section requires that a 
transmission line located in a Class 3 or Class 4 location that 
transports a combustible gas in a distribution line must contain a 
natural odorant or be odorized so that the gas is readily detectable by 
a person with a normal sense of smell unless, in the case of a lateral 
line which transports gas to a distribution center, at least 50 percent 
of the line is in a Class 1 or Class 2 location.

DATES: Persons interested in submitting written comments on the waiver 
request described in this Notice must do so by April 4, 2005. Late 
filed comments will be considered so far as practicable.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by mailing or delivering an 
original and two copies to the Dockets Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590-0001. The Dockets Facility is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except on Federal holidays when the facility is closed. 
Alternatively, you may submit written comments to the docket 
electronically at the following Web address: http://dms.dot.gov.
    All written comments should identify the docket and notice numbers 
stated in the heading of this notice. Anyone who wants confirmation of 
mailed comments must include a self-addressed stamped postcard. To file 
written comments electronically, after logging on to http://dms.dot.gov, click on ``Comment/Submissions.'' You can also read 
comments and other material in the docket. General information about 
the Federal pipeline safety program is available at http://ops.dot.gov.
    Anyone is able to 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.).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Reynolds by phone at 202-366-
2786, by fax at 202-366-4566, by mail at DOT, PHMSA, OPS, 400 7th 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The gas pipeline safety regulation at 49 CFR 192.625(b)(3) requires 
that a transmission line located in a Class 3 or Class 4 location that 
transports a combustible gas in a distribution line must contain a 
natural odorant or be ordorized so that the gas is readily detectable 
by a person with a normal sense of smell unless, in the case of a 
lateral line which transports gas to a distribution center, at least 50 
percent of the line is in a Class 1 or Class 2 location.
    NNG is requesting a waiver from the regulatory requirements of 
Sec.  192.625(b)(3) for three of its transmission lines. The 
transmission lines are located in, and transport natural gas to, town 
border stations (TBS) located in Ripley, Iowa; LaCrescent, Minnesota; 
and LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Justification

    NNG is requesting the waiver for the following reasons:
     The integrity assessment of the Rippey, Iowa, LaCrescent, 
Minnesota, and LaCrosse, Wisconsin Branch Lines show a low likelihood 
of failure. The installation of odorization equipment in the road 
right-of-way of the Rippey, Iowa Branch Line would present a safety 
hazard to the public and require above ground piping. This would 
increase the likelihood of outside force damage to the Rippey, Iowa 
Branch Line.
     The take-off for the LaCrescent, Minnesota Branch Line is 
situated in a wetland area in the flood plain of the Mississippi River; 
installation of an odorizer on this line could cause an environmental 
impact to the river. In

[[Page 10476]]

addition, regular maintenance and odorant delivery to the LaCrescent, 
Minnesota Branch Line could present a traffic hazard and the potential 
for a hazardous material spill in a wetland area.
     The take-off for the LaCrosse, Wisconsin Branch Line is in 
a low, sandy, Mississippi River flood plain area. Installation of an 
odorizer on this line could cause an environmental impact to the 
Mississippi River flood plain. Lastly, access to this line is limited. 
This would make it difficult to deliver odorant to the pipeline.
    NNG provided the following additional information on its pipelines 
for consideration of its waiver request:

1. Rippey, Iowa Branch Line--IAB64601 (Mile Post (MP) 0.000-0.034)

    Line IAB64601 is 2-inch in diameter, 0.034 miles (180 feet) in 
length, and begins at a side valve on the Perry, Iowa branch line, 
IAB64401. Line IAB64601 supplies gas to the town of Ripley, Iowa 
through the Rippey 1 TBS. This entire line is in Class 3 area.

2. LaCrescent, Minnesota Branch Line--MNB73701 (MP 0.000-0.369)

    Line MNB73701 is 4-inch in diameter, 0.369 miles (1,848 feet) in 
length, and begins at a side valve on the LaCrosse branch line, 
MNB73201. Line MNB73701 is located in a wetland area that is part of 
the Mississippi River flood plain and supplies gas to the town of 
LaCrescent, Minnesota through the LaCrescent 1 TBS. Line 
MNB73701 is Class 1 from MP 0.000-0.051 and Class 3 from MP 0.051-
0.369.

3. LaCrosse, Wisconsin Branch Line--WIB24101 (MP 0.000-0.119)

    Line WIB24101 is 12-inch in diameter, 0.119 miles (628 feet) in 
length, and begins at a buried tap on the Tomah, Wisconsin, branch line 
WIB11901. Line WIB24101 supplies gas to the town of LaCrosse, Wisconsin 
through the LaCrosse 1 TBS. This entire line is in Class 3 
area.
    NNG believes it considered all practical alternatives for the 
placement of odorization equipment on its pipelines. They concluded 
that none were feasible.

Proposed Alternatives

    NNG proposes the following alternatives and believes that these 
alternatives provide a higher level of safety than those required by 
the pipeline safety regulations. NNG proposes to:
     Perform leak surveys along the entire length of the 
Ripley, Iowa; LaCrescent, Minnesota; and LaCrosse, Wisconsin pipelines. 
All surveys will be performed quarterly and with leak detection 
equipment.
     Install and maintain additional pipeline markers along 
each pipeline.

OPS Review

    OPS is publishing this notice in the Federal Register to provide an 
opportunity for public comment. After OPS has considered any comments 
it receives in response to this Notice, it will make a final 
determination granting or denying the waiver as proposed, or with 
modifications. If the waiver is granted, and OPS subsequently 
determines that the effect of the waiver is no longer consistent with 
pipeline safety, OPS may revoke the waiver at its sole discretion. This 
Notice is OPS's only request for public comment before making its final 
decision in this matter. At the conclusion of the comment period, OPS 
will make a determination on the proposed waiver and publish its 
decision in the Federal Register.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 60118 (c) and 49 CFR 1.53.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 25, 2005.
Theodore L. Willke,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-4124 Filed 3-2-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P