[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 144 (Thursday, July 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42717-42718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12034]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-98-4470]


Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Technical Pipeline Safety 
Standards Advisory Committee

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

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting of PHMSA's Technical 
Pipeline Safety Standards Committee (TPSSC) to vote on a proposed rule 
requiring pipeline operators to consider internal corrosion when 
designing and constructing new and replaced gas transmission pipelines.

DATES: The TPSSC will meet on Thursday, August 24, 2006, from 1 p.m. to 
3 p.m., EST.

ADDRESSES: The Committee members will participate via telephone 
conference call. Members of the public may attend the meeting at the 
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 
DC, in room 3246 A.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information regarding 
this meeting contact Cheryl Whetsel at (202) 366-4431, or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Meeting Details

    Members of the public may attend the meeting. PHMSA will post any 
additional information or changes on its Web page (http://phmsa.dot.gov).
    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 August 21 of the topic and the length of 
the presentation. The presiding officer at the 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 by August 24, 2006, at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
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 Web page 
http://dms.dot.gov. Click on ``Help & Information'' for instructions on 
how to file a document electronically. All written comments should 
reference docket number PHMSA-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 August 21, 2006.

[[Page 42718]]

2. TPSSC Background

    The TPSSC is a statutorily mandated advisory committee that advises 
PHMSA on proposed safety standards for gas pipelines. The TPSSC was 
established under section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C. App. 1). The committee consists of 15 
members--five each representing government, industry, and the public. 
The TPSSC is 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 evaluates the merits of the data and, when 
appropriate, provides recommendations on the adequacy of the cost-
benefit analyses.

3. Background on the Proposed Rule

    On December 15, 2005, PHMSA published a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (70 FR 74262) on the control 
of internal corrosion when designing and constructing new and replaced 
gas transmission pipelines. PHMSA's pipeline safety regulations now 
require operators to have operation and maintenance practices to 
control internal corrosion. The NPRM proposed to require operators to 
address the risk of internal corrosion at a much earlier stage; namely 
when designing and constructing new and replaced gas transmission 
pipelines.
    PHMSA presented the NPRM to the TPSSC at a meeting on June 28, 
2006. Members expressed concern about the enforceability of the NPRM 
and the extent of its recordkeeping requirements. The TPSSC requested 
postponement of consideration of the NPRM and additional information 
before a vote on it. The TPSSC will be voting on the reasonableness, 
cost-effectiveness, and practicability of the NPRM at the meeting 
scheduled in this notice. PHMSA will provide additional information to 
the members prior to the meeting.
    PHMSA will issue a final rule based on the proposed rule, the 
comments received from the public, and the vote and comments of the 
advisory committee.

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

    Issued in Washington, DC on July 21, 2006.
Stacey L. Gerard,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. E6-12034 Filed 7-26-06; 8:45 am]
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