[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 50 (Thursday, March 16, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13973-13975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05197]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Docket Number: 170309252-7252-01]


Office of Policy and Strategic Planning; Construction of 
Pipelines Using Domestic Steel and Iron

AGENCY: Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce is seeking information on the 
construction and maintenance of American pipelines. This information 
will help the Department develop a plan for the domestic sourcing of 
materials for the construction, retrofitting, repair, and expansion of 
pipelines inside the United States as directed by the January 24, 2017 
Presidential Memorandum regarding ``Construction of American 
Pipelines'' (Presidential Memorandum). The Secretary of Commerce, in 
consultation with relevant agencies, is required to deliver this plan 
to the President by July 23, 2017.
    In response to this directive, the Department of Commerce is 
conducting industry outreach to better understand: Current pipeline 
construction technology and requirements; potential advances in 
pipeline technology; domestic and foreign supply chain for pipeline 
materials; and all other information respondents consider pertinent to 
the development of the domestic sourcing plan. Responses to this notice 
(posted at https://www.regulations.gov) will inform the Secretary's 
plan for the domestic sourcing of materials used in pipelines

[[Page 13974]]

within the boundaries of the United States.

DATES: Comments must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern time on April 7, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the Presidential Memorandum and 
responses to the questions below by one of the following methods:

(a) Electronic Submission

    Submit all electronic comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal 
at https://www.regulations.gov (at the home page, enter DOC-2017-0002 
in the ``Search'' box, click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the 
required fields, and enter or attach your comments). The materials in 
the docket will not be edited to remove identifying or contact 
information, and the Department cautions against including any 
information in an electronic submission that the submitter does not 
want publicly disclosed. Attachments to electronic comments will be 
accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF formats only. Comments 
containing references, studies, research, and other empirical data that 
are not widely published should include copies of the referenced 
materials. Please do not submit additional materials. If you want to 
submit a comment with business confidential information that you do not 
wish to be made public, submit the comment as a written/paper 
submission in the manner detailed below.

(b) Written/Paper Submissions

    Send all written/paper submissions to: The Office of Policy and 
Strategic Planning, Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW., 
Room 5863, Washington, DC 20230.

Submissions of ``Business Confidential Information'': Any submissions 
containing ``business confidential information'' must be delivered in a 
sealed envelope marked ``confidential treatment requested'' to the 
address listed above. Please provide an index listing the document(s) 
or information that the submitter would like the Department to 
withhold. The index should include information such as numbers used to 
identify the relevant document(s) or information, document title and 
description, and relevant page numbers and/or section numbers within a 
document. Provide a statement explaining the submitter's grounds for 
objecting to disclosure of the information to the public. The 
Department also requests that submitters of business confidential 
information include a non-confidential version (either redacted or 
summarized) of those confidential submissions, which will be available 
for public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov. In the 
event that the submitter cannot provide a non-confidential version of 
its submission, the Department requests that the submitter post a 
notice in the docket stating that it has provided the Department with 
business confidential information. Should a submitter fail to docket 
either a non-confidential version of its submission or to post a notice 
that business confidential information has been provided, the 
Department will note the receipt of the submission on the docket with 
the submitter's organization or name (to the degree permitted by law) 
and the date of submission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this notice 
contact: Carter Halfman or David Langdon at the U.S. Department of 
Commerce, Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, at 202-482-7466 or 
202-482-3308. Please direct media inquiries to the Department of 
Commerce Office of Public Affairs at 202-482-4883, or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: President Trump's Memorandum of January 24, 
2017, ``Construction of American Pipelines'' (82 FR 8659) directs the 
Secretary of Commerce to ``develop a plan under which all new 
pipelines, as well as retrofitted, repaired, or expanded pipelines, 
inside the borders of the United States, including portions of 
pipelines, use materials and equipment produced in the United States, 
to the maximum extent possible and to the extent permitted by law.''
    For the purposes of this notice the term ``pipeline'' refers to any 
conduit of pipe used for conveyance of gases, liquids or other 
products. The physical facilities include: Pipes, valves, fittings, 
connectors, and other iron and steel assemblies or apparatus attached 
to the pipe.
    For the purposes of this notice the term ``materials and 
equipment'' refers to the iron, steel and all precursors, alloys or 
substitutes used in the fabrication of pipelines (as defined above) as 
well as pipeline coatings while ``equipment'' refers to valves and 
other steel and/or iron apparatus attached to pipe.

Request for Information

    Given the nature and import of the Presidential Memorandum, the 
Department requests information from all stakeholders involved in the 
manufacturing and construction of pipelines (including the retrofit, 
repair, or expansion of existing pipelines) as well as the production 
and distribution of pipeline materials.
    Respondents may address any, all or none of the following 
questions, and may address additional topics that have implications for 
increasing the domestic material content in pipelines. Please identify, 
where possible, the questions your comments are intended to address.
    Respondents may organize their submissions in any manner, and all 
responses that comply with the requirements listed in the DATES and 
ADDRESSES sections of this notice will be considered. Reminder: 
Respondents have the burden to request that any information contained 
in a submission be treated as ``business confidential information'' and 
must certify that such information is business confidential and would 
not customarily be released to the public by the submitter; business 
confidential information must be clearly designated as such and 
provided only by mail carrier as described above.
    While the Department welcomes all input considered relevant to the 
development of a plan for the domestic sourcing of materials for the 
construction, retrofitting, repair, and expansion of pipelines, the 
Department specifically seeks the following types of information:

a. What is your role regarding U.S. pipelines?
    a. Operation
    b. Construction
    c. Pipeline manufacturing
    d. Steel manufacturing
    e. Wholesale distribution
    f. Other. Please describe in a few sentences.
b. NAICS code(s)?
c. What types of pipelines does your company operate, construct, 
manufacture, or distribute?
d. Where are your operations located?
e. How many employees?
f. Approximate sales revenue?
g. Approximately how many miles of pipeline did your company construct, 
repair, fabricate, or distribute in 2016?
1. In a few sentences, describe your assessment of U.S. pipeline demand 
(such as miles of pipeline planned for construction) for the next few 
years.
2. To what extent are your companies' pipeline materials sourced 
domestically? What factors influence this decision (price, quality, 
supply shortages, pipeline requirements, domestic sourcing 
requirements, etc.)?
3. If applicable, please estimate your company's capacity to fabricate 
pipelines or steel for pipelines.

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What was your capacity utilization in 2016? If applicable, what factors 
prevented your company from operating at capacity?
4. If applicable, please estimate in days or months supply your 
existing inventories of pipe. What share of your inventory is fully 
produced in the United States?
5. To what extent are materials other than iron and steel the primary 
materials used in your pipelines?
6. To what extent is technology changing the material requirements and 
construction techniques in the pipeline industry?
7. If applicable, how many permits from a Federal agency are required 
for pipeline construction or repair? Which Federal agencies require 
permits and how long does it take to obtain them?
8. Please describe in a few sentences how domestic content requirements 
would affect your operations.

    Dated: March 10, 2017.
Earl Comstock,
Director of the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning.
[FR Doc. 2017-05197 Filed 3-15-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-17-P