[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17509-17510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6730]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. RSPA-04-19914; Notice 1]


Pipeline Safety: Petition for Waiver; Enstar Natural Gas Company

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

ACTION: Notice; Petition for Waiver.

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SUMMARY: Enstar Natural Gas Company (Enstar) has petitioned the Office 
of Pipeline Safety (OPS) for a waiver of the pipeline safety regulation 
that prohibits tracer wire from being wrapped around the pipe.

DATES: Persons interested in submitting written comments on the waiver 
request described in this Notice must do so by May 6, 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

[[Page 17510]]

comment (or signing the comment if submitted on behalf of an 
association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (volume 65, number 70; pages 19477-78) or you may visit 
http://dms.dot.gov.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The pipeline safety regulation at 49 CFR 
192.321(e), Installation of plastic pipe, requires plastic pipe that is 
not encased to have an electrically conducting wire or other means of 
locating the pipe while it is underground. Tracer wire may not be 
wrapped around the pipe and contact with the pipe must be minimized but 
is not prohibited. Tracer wire or other metallic elements installed for 
pipe locating purposes must be resistant to corrosion damage, either by 
use of coated copper wire or by other means.
    Enstar is requesting a waiver from Sec.  192.321(e) because 
lightning strikes are rare in their service area, and Enstar believes 
there will be more, not fewer, incidents on their pipeline if they are 
forced to discontinue the practice of wrapping tracer wire around their 
plastic pipe.
    According to Enstar, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) tracks 
occurrences of lightning strikes to monitor forest fire activity. BLM 
has lightning detection systems throughout Alaska in locations were 
lightning strikes are frequent, mainly north and west of the Alaska 
Range. Lightning strikes are recorded by electrical sensors at nine 
stations in Alaska. Where lightning strikes are not common, such as 
south and east of the Alaska Range, lightning detection systems are not 
installed. Enstar's service area is in south central Alaska, an area 
without lightning detection systems. Since 1972, Enstar's standard 
practice has been to wrap tracer wire around their plastic pipe. 
Because of the unique geographical and climatic conditions of the area, 
lightning strikes on their plastic pipe system are extremely rare. In 
32 years, Enstar has recorded only one confirmed incident due to 
lightning strikes.
    Enstar contends that their pipeline will suffer more damages if 
they are not allowed to wrap tracer wire around their pipeline. Enstar 
performs approximately 500 excavations per year due to third party 
damages and 17,000 to 18,000 line locates each year. Enstar contends 
that this regulation is designed to redress a problem that does not 
exist within the Enstar pipeline service area.
    For the reasons cited above, Enstar is requesting a waiver from the 
pipeline requirements at Sec.  192.321(e). Enstar's waiver request is 
available for review in the docket. OPS is seeking comments on the 
Enstar's waiver request. After the comments have been received and the 
comment period has ended, OPS will consider each comment and make a 
decision whether to grant or deny Enstar's waiver request. OPS' 
decision will be published in the Federal Register.

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

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2005.
Theodore L. Willke,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-6730 Filed 4-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P