[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 198 (Thursday, October 15, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52996-52997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-24838]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2009-0304]


Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activities

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA 
invites comments on an information collection under Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Control No. 2137-0584, titled ``Gas and 
Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Program Certifications.'' PHMSA will 
request approval from OMB for a revision of the current information 
collection. That revision relates to the use of on-line certification 
media containing questions which will improve PHMSA's ability to 
efficiently allocate grant monies to State programs, resulting in the 
creation of additional incentives for pipeline safety under the State's 
jurisdiction.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 14, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in the following ways:
    E-Gov Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. This site allows the 
public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice issued by any 
agency.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the ground level of the West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Wednesdays and Federal 
holidays.
    Instructions: Identify the docket number, PHMSA-2009-0304, at the 
beginning of your comments. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal 
information provided. You should know that 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 comment (or signing the comment, 
if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.) 
Therefore, you may want to review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement 
in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477) or 
visit http://dms.dot.gov before submitting any such comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket or to read background documents or 
comments, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room W12-140 on 
the ground level of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 a.m., Monday through Friday, 
except on Wednesdays and Federal holidays.
    If you wish to receive confirmation of receipt of your written 
comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard with the 
following statement: ``Comments on PHMSA-2009-0304''. The Docket Clerk 
will date-stamp the postcard prior to returning it to you via the U.S. 
mail. Please note that due to delays in the delivery of U.S. mail to 
Federal offices in Washington, DC, we recommend that persons consider 
an alternative method (Internet, fax, or professional delivery service) 
of submitting comments to the docket and ensuring their timely receipt 
at DOT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cameron Satterthwaite by telephone at 
202-366-1319, by fax at 202-366-4566, or by mail at U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., PHP-30, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1320.8(d), Title 5, Code of Federal 
Regulations requires PHMSA to provide interested members of the public 
and affected agencies an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping requests. This notice identifies an 
information collection request that PHMSA is submitting to OMB for 
revision under OMB Control No. 2137-0584. This information collection 
is contained in 49 CFR Part 198. We are proposing to revise this 
information collection to incorporate changes to the tools used to 
determine the amount of funds received by each participating State. We 
believe these revisions will improve PHMSA's ability to efficiently 
allocate grant monies to States that are currently enhancing or seeking 
to enhance their respective programs, thereby resulting in the creation 
of additional incentives for pipeline safety under the State's 
jurisdiction.

[[Page 52997]]

Gas and Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Program Certifications

    For the hazardous liquids program, the Office of Pipeline Safety 
(OPS) currently has two States with an agreement under 49 U.S.C. 
60106(a) and 15 State programs that are certified under 49 U.S.C. 
60105(a) with six States acting as Interstate Agents.
    For the natural gas program, the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) 
currently has one State with an agreement under 49 U.S.C. 60106(a) and 
51 State programs that are certified under 49 U.S.C. 60105(a) (Hawaii 
and Alaska are exceptions) with nine States acting as Interstate 
Agents.
    An estimate of the revised burden is as follows:
    Title: Pipeline Safety: Gas and Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety 
Program Certifications.
    OMB Control Number: 2137-0584.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: A State agency participating in the pipeline safety 
program must maintain records to demonstrate that the agency is 
properly monitoring the operations of pipeline operators in that State. 
The State agency must also submit an annual certificate to PHMSA 
verifying compliance. PHMSA uses the information collected to evaluate 
the State's eligibility for Federal grants.
    Estimated number of respondents: 67.
    Estimated annual burden hours: 3,920 hours.
    Frequency of collection: Annually.

    Issued in Washington, DC on October 7, 2009.
John A. Gale,
Director of Regulations.
[FR Doc. E9-24838 Filed 10-14-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P