[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 81 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23403-23404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09538]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2013-0004]


Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activities, Revision to 
Gas Distribution Annual Report

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: PHMSA is preparing to request Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval for the revision of the gas distribution annual report 
currently approved under OMB control number 2137-0522. In addition to 
making several minor changes to the report, PHMSA will also request a 
new OMB control number for this information collection. In accordance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA invites comments on the 
proposed revisions to the form and instructions.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
June 27, 2014.

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 
(DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the ground level of DOT, West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. 
and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: Identify the docket number, PHMSA-2013-0004, at the 
beginning of your comments. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to http://www.regulations.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 19476) or visit http://www.regulations.gov 
before submitting any such comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket or to read background documents or 
comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-
140 on the ground level of DOT, West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except 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-
2013-0004.'' 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: Angela Dow by telephone at 202-366-
1246, by fax at 202-366-4566, or by mail at DOT, PHMSA, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., PHP-30, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    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 for 
the gas distribution annual report that PHMSA will be submitting to OMB 
for approval. PHMSA made a similar proposal on February 13, 2013. Based 
on comments received, PHMSA has now eliminated redundancies in the leak 
cause category descriptions.

B. Gas Distribution Annual Report

    PHMSA intends to revise the gas distribution annual report (PHMSA F 
7100.1-1, gas distribution annual

[[Page 23404]]

report) to resolve conflicts and improve the granularity of the data 
collected. Background for these topics is as follows:
    Specify Commodity:
    We have added a section for operators to specify the commodity type 
transported, similar to the gas transmission and hazardous liquid 
reporting forms. These commodity groups are: ``Natural Gas,'' 
``Synthetic Gas,'' ``Hydrogen Gas,'' ``Propane Gas,'' ``Landfill Gas,'' 
and ``Other Gas.'' Operators will select a commodity group based on the 
predominant gas carried and complete the report for that commodity 
group. If ``Other Gas'' is selected, operators will need to provide the 
name of the other gas. Operators will need to file a separate report 
for each commodity group transported.
    Specify Operator Type:
    We have added a section to the report for submitters to identify 
the operator type. The operator type groups include ``Investor Owned''; 
``Municipally Owned,'' ``Privately Owned,''; ''Cooperative,'' and 
``Other Ownership''. If ``Other Ownership'' is selected, operators will 
need to describe the ownership type.
    Additional Material Type: We are adding ``Reconditioned Cast Iron'' 
as a pipe material and defining it as a cast iron gas distribution pipe 
that has been lined internally by use of suitable materials that ensure 
safe operation at a maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) not to 
exceed the previously established MAOP. ``Reconditioned Cast Iron'' 
does not include cast iron pipe inserted with a gas pipe that is, by 
itself, suitable for gas service under Part 192, (e.g., an ASTM D2513 
pipe meeting code requirements for the intended gas service.) Such 
insertions are to be reported as the material used in the insertion. 
The definition is intended to make a clear distinction between a liner 
and inserted pipe. Reconditioning techniques would not include new, 
stand-alone polyethylene pipe, composite pipe, or a tight fitting liner 
that does not rely on the structural integrity of the host pipe (the 
cavity of the host pipe is simply used for installation purposes). 
Other methods, such as pipe splitting or bursting that involve the 
installation of a new stand-alone pipe while the host pipe is destroyed 
do not result in ``Reconditioned Cast Iron''.
    Removal of Requirement to Populate Certain Fields in Part B Tables:
    We have streamlined the report by removing the requirement to 
populate certain fields in Tables B1, B2, and B3 as that data will now 
be calculated automatically and populated appropriately from certain 
other fields in the tables.
    Revision of Leak Cause Categories in Part C:
    To improve efficiency and consistency, we have revised the ``Cause 
of Leak'' categories in Part C to align with the leak causes in the gas 
distribution annual report with the incident causes from the gas 
distribution incident reporting form (PHMSA F 7100.1, Incident Report--
Gas Distribution System).
    Addition of Excavation Damage Cause Categories in Part D:
    We added a new data collection in ``Excavation Damage'' to include 
the four causes from Part I of the ``Damage Information Reporting Tool 
(DIRT)--Field Form.'' These cause categories are also aligned with the 
fields that must be completed in Part G4, field number 14 in the gas 
distribution incident reporting form.

C. Summary of Impacted Collections

    The following information is provided below for the impacted 
information collection: (1) Title of the information collection; (2) 
OMB control number; (3) Current expiration date; (4) Type of request; 
(5) Abstract of the information collection activity; (6) Description of 
affected public; (7) Estimate of total annual reporting and 
recordkeeping burden; and (8) Frequency of collection.
    PHMSA requests comments on the following information collection:
    1. Title: Annual Report for Gas Distribution Pipeline Operators.
    OMB Control Number: N/A.
    Current Expiration Date: N/A.
    Type of Request: New Collection.
    Abstract: PHMSA intends to revise the gas distribution annual 
report (PHMSA F 7100.1-1) to improve the granularity of the data 
collected in several areas.
    Affected Public: Gas distribution pipeline operators.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
    Total Annual Responses: 1,440.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 23,040.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Comments are invited on:
    (a) The need for the proposed collection of information, including 
whether the information will have practical utility in helping the 
agency to achieve its pipeline safety goals;
    (b) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information;
    (c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques.

Jeffrey D. Wiese,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2014-09538 Filed 4-25-14; 8:45 am]
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