[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 16, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12949-12950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5192]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket: RSPA-00-7408]


Request for Public Comments and Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) Approval of an Existing Information Collection (2137-0605)

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice seeks public comment on the need for PHMSA to 
collect paperwork information on pipeline integrity management in high 
consequence areas from hazardous liquid pipeline operators with less 
than 500 miles of pipelines. This information collection requires 
operators to provide direct integrity testing and evaluation of 
pipelines in high consequence areas. This notice is published (pursuant 
to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995) to measure the need for the 
paperwork collection, to find ways to minimize the burden on these 
operators that must respond, to find ways to enhance the quality of 
information collected, and to verify the accuracy of the PHMSA's 
estimate of the burden (measured in work hours) on private entities. 
This notice also seeks approval from OMB to renew the existing approval 
of this paperwork collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by May 16, 2005 to be 
assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments to the docket by any of the 
following methods:
     Mail: Dockets Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW, 20590-0001. Anyone wanting 
confirmation of mailed comments must include a self-addressed stamped 
postcard.
     Hand delivery or courier: Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, 
SW, Washington, DC. The Dockets Facility is open from 10 am to 5 pm, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Web site: Go to http://dms.dot.gov, click on ``Comments/
Submissions'' and follow instructions at the site.

[[Page 12950]]

    All written comments should identify the docket number and notice 
number stated in the heading of this notice.
    Docket access. For copies of this notice or other material in the 
docket, you may contact the Dockets Facility by phone (202-366-9329) or 
visit the facility at the above street address. For Web access to the 
dockets to read and download filed material, go to http://dms.dot.gov/search. Then type in the last four digits of the docket number shown in 
the heading of this notice, and click on ``Search.''
    Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments filed in any 
of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted for an association, business, labor 
union, etc.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in 
the April 11, 2000 issue of the Federal Register (65 FR 19477) or go to 
<http://dms.dot.gov.
    Interested persons are invited to send comments regarding the 
burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of information, 
including any of the following subjects: (1) The need for the proposed 
collection, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumption used; (3) ways 
to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technology 
collection techniques.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Florence Hamn, Office of Pipeline 
Safety, PHMSA, DOT, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590 (202) 
366-3015 or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PHMSA published the Final Rule titled 
``Pipeline Safety: Pipeline Integrity management in High Consequence 
Areas (Hazardous Liquid Operators with less than 500 miles of 
Pipelines)'' on January 16, 2002, in response to a host of safety 
recommendations, statutory mandates (49 U.S.C. Chapter 601 and 49 CFR 
Part 195), and the results of accident analyses. This rule requires 
continual assessment and evaluation of pipeline integrity through 
inspection or testing, data integration and analysis, and follow-up 
remedial, preventive, and mitigative actions. The current OMB approval 
for information collection requirements for an estimated 132 hazardous 
liquid pipeline operators is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2005.
    The existing estimate of the information collection burden is based 
on the assumption that (1) all operators have developed initial 
integrity management plan, however, based on the audits conducted by 
PHMSA, approximately 50 percent or about 66 operators would need to 
substantially revise the initial plan, and would require approximately 
1,400 hours to revise their initial integrity management program; (2) 
an additional 330 hours are required to update these programs annually; 
and (3) an additional 500 hours per operator are required annually to 
integrate data into the operator's existing management information 
system. PHMSA would like to continue to collect vital information on 
integrity management programs in the high consequence areas to measure 
its program effectiveness and to fulfill its statutory mandates.
    As used in this notice, `information collection' and `paperwork 
collection' are synonymous, and include all work related to preparing 
and disseminating information related to this recordkeeping requirement 
including completing paperwork, gathering information and conducting 
telephone calls.
    Type of Information Collection Request: Renewal of Existing 
Collection.
    Title of Information Collection: Pipeline Integrity Management in 
High Consequence Areas for Operators with less than 500 Miles of 
Pipelines.
    OMB Approval Number: 2137-0605.
    Frequency: Annually, and as needed.
    Use: This collection is used by PHMSA to measure the program 
effectiveness and ensure its statutory mandates for hazardous liquid 
pipeline safety in the high consequence areas
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 132.
    Respondents: Hazardous liquid pipeline operators with less than 500 
miles of pipelines.
    Total Annual Hours Requested: 267,960.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 7, 2005.
Theodore L. Willke,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-5192 Filed 3-15-05; 8:45 am]
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