[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61690-61691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21346]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. RSPA-98-4470]


Pipeline Safety: Meetings of the Pipeline Safety Advisory 
Committees

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

ACTION: Notice of meetings.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces public meetings of PHMSA's Technical 
Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (TPSSC) and Technical Hazardous 
Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (THLPSSC) to discuss 
regulatory issues.

DATES: The TPSSC and the THLPSSC will meet in joint sessions on 
December 13-14, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in 
Washington, DC at 480 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information regarding 
these meetings contact: Cheryl Whetsel at (202) 366-4431; 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

General Meeting Details

    Attendees staying at the hotel must make reservations by 5 p.m., 
November 18, 2005. The phone number for reservations at the hotel is 
(202) 484-1000. The hotel will give priority to the Committee members 
and State Pipeline Safety Representatives for rooms blocked under ``DOT 
Technical Advisory Committee Meetings''.
    Members of the public may make short statements on the topics under 
discussion. Anyone wishing to make an oral statement should notify 
Cheryl Whetsel, no later than November 21, of the topic and the length 
of the presentation. The presiding officer at each meeting may deny any 
request to present an oral statement and may limit the time of any 
presentation.
    You may submit written comments by mail or deliver them to the 
Dockets Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room PL-401, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

[[Page 61691]]

20590-0001. The Dockets Facility is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. You also may submit written 
comments to the docket electronically by logging onto the following 
Internet Web address: http://dms.dot.gov. Click on ``Help & 
Information'' for instructions on how to file a document 
electronically. All written comments should reference docket number 
RSPA-98-4470. Anyone who would like confirmation of mailed comments 
must include a self-addressed stamped postcard.
    Privacy Act Statement: Anyone may search the electronic form of all 
comments received for any of our dockets. You may review DOT's complete 
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 
2000 (65 FR 19477) or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
    Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: For 
information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities, or to request special assistance at the meeting, please 
contact Cheryl Whetsel at (202) 366-4431 by November 21, 2005.

Background

    The TPSSC and the THLPSSC are statutorily mandated advisory 
committees that make recommendations to PHMSA on proposed safety 
standards, risk assessments, and safety policies for gas and hazardous 
liquid pipeline. These advisory committees are established under 
section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 
5 U.S.C. App. 1). The committees consist of 15 members--five each 
representing government, industry, and the public. The TPSSC and the 
THLPSSC are tasked with determining reasonableness, cost-effectiveness, 
and practicability of regulatory initiatives.
    Federal law requires PHMSA to submit cost-benefit analyses and risk 
assessment information on each proposed safety standard to the advisory 
committees. The TPSSC or THLPSSC evaluate the merits of the data and 
methods used within the analyses, and, when appropriate, vote on all 
recommendations relating to the cost-benefit analyses. These committees 
also assist PHMSA with policy and other issues pertaining to pipeline 
safety.
    In addition to the advisory committee meetings, PHMSA will soon 
publish a separate notice to announce a public meeting on operator 
qualification regulatory considerations that will be held on December 
15, 2005. This public meeting is being scheduled during the same week 
as the advisory committee meetings to afford members of the advisory 
committees, State pipeline safety representatives, and the general 
public the maximum opportunity to attend both the advisory committee 
meetings and the operator qualification public meeting.

Meeting Topics

Tuesday, December 13 (8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.)

    The day's agenda includes the following topics:
     Responding to National Emergencies--Discuss lessons learned by 
industry and the Department of Transportation in responding to the most 
recent large-scale transportation emergencies.
     Gas Gathering Lines--Discuss comments received on the 
supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking and the associated 
regulatory analysis.
     Hazardous Liquid Gathering Lines--Discuss the regulatory 
approach to address the statutory requirement to address unregulated 
liquid gathering lines that could affect unusually sensitive areas.
     Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP)--Discuss 
DIMP team report findings on approaches to managing the integrity of 
gas distribution systems.
     Excavation Damage Prevention--Discuss hurricane recovery 
activities with the Common Ground Alliance (CGAs), approaches to 
enforcement, and program progress among Regional CGAs.
     Operator Qualifications--Discuss conceptual regulatory 
approaches to strengthen operator qualification programs. A public 
meeting on this issue will be held December 15, 2005.
     Annual Update of Standards Incorporated by Reference--
Committee vote on NPRM that proposes to update the pipeline safety 
regulations to incorporate by reference all or parts of new editions of 
voluntary consensus technical standards.

Wednesday, December 14 (8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.)

    The day's agenda includes the following topics:
     Recommendations on In-Line Inspection Options--Present 
findings from the public meeting and discuss next steps in enhancing 
in-line inspection efforts.
     Operator Control Room Issues--Discuss findings of 
Controller Certification Pilot Program for the Report to Congress, and 
provide an update on NTSB recommendations to address controller safety 
issues.
     Integrity Management Program Modifications and 
Clarifications--Discuss the notice of proposed rulemaking that 
addresses an API petition to allow more flexibility in scheduling 
repairs and reassessment intervals of hazardous liquid pipelines.
     Internal Corrosion in Gas Transmission Pipelines--Discuss 
the notice of proposed rulemaking to address internal corrosion when 
designing and constructing new and replaced gas transmission pipelines.
     Enforcement--Discuss program strategy and performance 
goals.
     Liquefied Natural Gas--Discuss PHMSA safety issues 
addressed in consensus standards and provide an update on the status of 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) initiatives.
     Reauthorization--Discuss energy and legislative proposals 
that pertain to pipeline safety.
    PHMSA will post more a detailed agenda and any additional 
information or changes on its Web page (http://phmsa.dot.gov) 
approximately 15 days before the meeting date.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 60102, 60115.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on October 20, 2005.
Stacey L. Gerard,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-21346 Filed 10-24-05; 8:45 am]
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