[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 199 (Monday, October 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52050-52051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22299]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2017-0091]


Pipeline Safety: Request for Special Permit; Hilcorp Alaska, LLC

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comment on a 
request for special permit, seeking relief from compliance with certain 
requirements in the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations. At the 
conclusion of the 30-day comment period, PHMSA will review the comments 
received from this notice as part of its evaluation to grant or deny 
the special permit request.

DATES: Submit any comments regarding this special permit request by 
November 14, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Comments should reference the docket number for the specific 
special permit request and may be submitted in the following ways:
     E-Gov website: 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 System: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: Docket Management System: U.S. Department 
of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, between 
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.
    Instructions: You should identify the docket number for the special 
permit request you are commenting on at the beginning of your comments. 
If you submit your comments by mail, please submit two copies. To 
receive

[[Page 52051]]

confirmation that PHMSA has received your comments, please include a 
self-addressed stamped postcard. Internet users may submit comments at 
http://www.Regulations.gov.

    Note: There is a privacy statement published on http://www.Reglations.gov. Comments, including any personal information 
provided, are posted without changes or edits to http://www.Regulations.gov.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    General: Ms. Kay McIver by telephone at 202-366-0113, or email at 
[email protected].
    Technical: Mr. Joshua Johnson by telephone at 816-329-3825, or 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    PHMSA received a special permit request from Hilcorp Alaska, LLC 
(Hilcorp) to deviate from the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations 
(PSRs) in 49 CFR 195.563 and 195.573 for the design, construction, and 
operation and maintenance (O&M) of the proposed Liberty Pipeline. The 
PSRs require hazardous liquid (HL) pipeline operators to have cathodic 
protection to prevent external corrosion and to monitor the level of 
external corrosion control to ensure adequate protection from pipeline 
metal loss. Whereas Hilcorp is seeking a waiver from Sec. Sec.  195.563 
and 195.573, PHMSA proposes that Hilcorp conduct alternative integrity 
measures to maintain safety through the implementation of proposed 
special permit conditions.
    The proposed Liberty Pipeline will originate on Liberty Drilling 
and Production Island (LDPI), an artificial island located in Foggy 
Island Bay of the Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf and State of 
Alaska waters. The Liberty Pipeline consists of 7.2 miles of 12.75-inch 
diameter HL interstate pipeline (carrier pipeline) and will transport 
crude oil. The submerged portion of the Liberty Pipeline will utilize a 
pipe-in-pipe design (12.75-inch diameter carrier pipe installed within 
16-inch casing pipe). The maximum water depth along the route is 19 
feet at LDPI. The special permit request is for approximately 5.7 miles 
of the carrier pipeline located offshore in the Beaufort Sea.
    The 5.7 miles of offshore carrier pipe will be installed in 16-inch 
casing pipe (pipe-in-pipe) to protect against crude oil spills from any 
leaks or other failures of the carrier pipeline. The pipe-in-pipe will 
be designed and constructed and O&M procedures will be implemented to 
prevent, monitor, and mitigate the creation of a corrosive environment 
and stresses that might occur through the operational life of the 
Liberty Pipeline. The pipe-in-pipe will be designed and operated as 
secondary containment against carrier pipeline crude oil in the segment 
located in offshore waters. The purpose of the special permit, with its 
implemented conditions, is to assure safety and environmental 
protection in lieu of compliance with Sec. Sec.  195.563 and 195.573.
    The maximum operating pressure of the carrier pipeline will be 
1,480 pounds per square inch gauge (psig). The Liberty Pipeline will 
transport crude oil to and through the Badami and Endicott Pipelines 
and then to the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). The TAPS will 
transport the Liberty Pipeline crude oil to a terminal in Valdez, 
Alaska, where tankers will then transport crude oil to the West Coast. 
The Liberty Pipeline will be installed in a remote area of Alaska that 
is not populated, in an area where federally listed threatened and/or 
endangered species exist and that is identified as an unusually 
sensitive area. Pipelines in such areas must be operated in compliance 
with the pipeline integrity management provisions as specified in 49 
CFR 195.6, 195.450, and 195.452.
    The proposed special permit and Draft Environmental Assessment 
(DEA) for the Liberty Pipeline are available in Docket No. PHMSA-2017-
0091 at http://www.Regulations.gov for public review and comment. We 
invite interested persons to review and submit comments on the special 
permit request, DEA, and other background materials in the docket. 
Please include any comments on potential safety and environmental 
impacts that may result if the special permit is granted. Comments may 
include relevant data.
    Before issuing a decision on the special permit request, PHMSA will 
evaluate all comments received on or before the comment closing date. 
Comments received after the closing date will be evaluated if it is 
possible to do so without incurring additional expense or delay. PHMSA 
will consider each relevant comment we receive in making our decision 
to grant or deny a request.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on October 9, 2018, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2018-22299 Filed 10-12-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-60-P