[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 68 (Monday, April 11, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18459-18460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7267]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-05-20920]


Pipeline Safety: Meeting on Pipeline Repairs and Permitting

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

ACTION: Notice of meeting

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SUMMARY: On May 6, 2005, OPS will hold a meeting to discuss pipeline 
repairs and permitting. This meeting provides the pipeline industry an 
opportunity to share its experience with making pipeline repairs and 
obtaining permits.

ADDRESSES: The May 6, 2005, meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency 
Reston Hotel, 1800 Presidents Street, Reston, VA 20190. The telephone 
number to call for reservations at the Hyatt Regency Reston Hotel is 
(703) 925-8225. The

[[Page 18460]]

particular meeting room will be posted by the hotel the day of the 
meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Khayata, OPS, (404) 832-1155 or 
Rita Freeman-Kelly, OPS (202) 366-5443 about the subject matter in this 
notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Integrity Management Program

    The nation's existing pipeline infrastructure requires regular 
safety and environmental reviews to ensure its reliability and safety. 
To further strengthen safety of the pipeline infrastructure and 
following pipeline ruptures in Bellingham, Washington, and Carlsbad, 
New Mexico, OPS developed the integrity management program (IMP) 
requirements. OPS amended 49 CFR part 195 to require operators of 
pipelines transporting hazardous liquid pipeline facilities to ensure 
the integrity of pipeline segments that, in the event of a leak or 
rupture, could impact High Consequence Areas (HCAs), which are 
populated areas, areas unusually sensitive to environmental damage, and 
commercially navigable waterways. As part of the IMP requirements 
operators must (1) identify HCAs relevant to their pipelines; (2) 
systematically identify risks to those segments of pipelines that could 
affect HCAs; and (3) address those risks through specified methods.
    While OPS was developing the gas IMP requirements, Congress passed 
the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 (PSIA), (Pub. L. 107-355; 
codified at 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq.). The PSIA mandated that PHMSA 
(formerly the Research and Special Programs Administration) adopt 
regulations for gas integrity management. The regulations addressing 
gas integrity management programs are addressed in 49 CFR part 192, 
subpart O.
    Both the liquid and gas IMP requirements establish a timetable for 
the initial inspection and periodic re-inspection of pipelines. 
Pipeline defects are categorized according to detailed IMP criteria, 
with specific repair actions and timeframes for each, depending on the 
severity of the defect. OPS designed its approach to achieve greater 
safety by establishing performance-based requirements that allow 
operators to determine the most appropriate inspection processes and 
technologies to use in their integrity management programs.
    Operators now have some experience with IMP and have expressed 
concerns to OPS about their ability to make repairs within the required 
timeframes.

Permit Streamlining

    Section 16 of the PSIA directed Federal agencies with 
responsibility over pipeline repairs to participate in an Interagency 
Committee (IAC) and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to 
provide a coordinated and expedited pipeline repair permit review 
process. In 2003, the IAC was established to implement a coordinated 
environmental review and permitting process that allows pipeline 
repairs to be completed within the timeframes specified in 49 CFR parts 
192 and 195.
    The IAC, organized by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) 
(which oversees and assists all IAC member Federal agencies with their 
efforts to expedite their review of permits), includes representatives 
of Federal agencies with responsibilities for pipeline repair projects. 
In June 2004, participating Federal agencies signed the MOU on 
``Coordination of Environmental Reviews for Pipeline Repair Projects.'' 
The MOU identifies the roles and responsibilities of each party, 
thereby improving the permitting process coordination. In signing this 
MOU, the IAC intends to expedite the environmental permit process while 
maintaining safety, pubic health, and environmental protections. The 
IAC therefore recognizes that early planning, notice, and consultation 
among pipeline operators and various Federal agencies can result in 
timely decisions enabling critical repair actions to move forward 
within the context of resource conservation.
    During the June 2004 Oversight Hearing on Pipeline Safety, CEQ 
Chairman James Connaughton identified four initiatives that the IAC 
would explore to improve the permit streamlining process: (1) Early 
consultation and coordination to minimize impacts on energy supply and 
price; (2) consolidation of existing permitting processes; and (3) 
adoption of best practices for repairs and consideration of categorical 
exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act; and (4) 
identification of instances where permit delays, specific issues, and 
additional authorizations prevent time-sensitive repairs under current 
regulations. Improving the process will help ensure that timely 
decisions are made to enable pipeline repairs to occur within the time 
periods specified by 49 CFR Parts 192 and 195, while ensuring the 
environmental review and permitting responsibilities of participating 
Federal agencies are achieved.
    During the meeting, OPS would like participants to discuss the 
repair process, repair criteria, and the agency permitting process. 
During the discussion on the repair process, and in exploring ways to 
streamline the permit process, OPS would like participants to share the 
type of experience they have had with the repair process, e.g., 
pipeline assessment, excavations, and nature of repairs. For the repair 
criteria, OPS would like participants to describe their experience with 
factors that allow them to meet or prevent them from meeting the repair 
criteria defined in the gas or hazardous liquid IMP regulations. OPS 
would also like participants to share their experience with the Federal 
permitting process, such as the type of permits requested, and the 
average time it takes to obtain permits.
    The agenda for this meeting will include a discussion on:
     Repair Process
     Repair Criteria
     Agency Permitting Process
    OPS plans to establish a docket and place the record of the meeting 
in the docket (http://www.dms.gov). Interested persons may also submit 
their views to the docket following the meeting.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 60102 and 60133.

    Issued in Washington, DC on April 6, 2005.
Theodore L. Willke,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-7267 Filed 4-6-05; 3:46 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P