[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 46 (Monday, March 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13700-13703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04734]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0141]
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 proposed revisions to the hazardous liquid accident
report form and its associated instructions. Revisions are being
proposed to PHMSA F 7000-1 Accident Report--Hazardous Liquid Pipeline
Systems under OMB Control No. 2137-0047.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
May 8, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Comments 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 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-2019-0141 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
[[Page 13701]]
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://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-
2019-0141.'' 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.
Confidential Business Information
Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial
information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by
its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552),
CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments responsive to
this notice contain commercial or financial information that is
customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and
that is relevant or responsive to this notice, it is important that you
clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Pursuant to 49 CFR
190.343, you may ask PHMSA to give confidential treatment to
information you give to the agency by taking the following steps: (1)
Mark each page of the original document submission containing CBI as
``Confidential''; (2) send PHMSA, along with the original document, a
second copy of the original document with the CBI deleted; and (3)
explain why the information you are submitting is CBI. Unless you are
notified otherwise, PHMSA will treat such marked submissions as
confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public
docket of this notice. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to
Angela Hill, DOT, PHMSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, PHP-30, Washington,
DC 20590-0001. Any commentary PHMSA receives that is not specifically
designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this matter.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact
Angela Hill by telephone at 202-366-1246, by email at
[email protected], 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:
I. Background
Section 1320.8(d), Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, requires
PHMSA to provide interested members of the public and affected entities
an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping
requests. This notice identifies changes to information collections
that PHMSA will be submitting to OMB.
PHMSA F 7000-1 Accident Report--Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems
PHMSA proposes to reorganize the existing questions and add more
detailed questions about accident response, accident consequences,
operating conditions, cause, and contributing factors.
1. Change Form Name
PHMSA proposes changing the name of the form to ``Accident Report--
Hazardous Liquid and Carbon Dioxide Systems''. This change would more
accurately describe the types of pipelines for which this form should
be used.
2. Time Zone and Daylight Savings
PHMSA proposes adding the time zone and daylight savings status at
the location and time of the accident. This data would help PHMSA
correlate our accident investigation findings with the form.
3. Operational Status
PHMSA proposes collecting the operational status of the pipeline
system at the time the operator identified the failure. On the current
form, there is an assumption that the pipeline was in service at the
time the operator identified the failure, but this is often not the
case. This change would help stakeholders understand the status of the
pipeline and clarify the pipeline shutdown data.
4. Part A Reorganization and Detailed Questions About Accident Response
PHMSA proposes reorganizing existing questions to help detail the
sequence of operator actions and interactions as the accident proceeds.
For example, how the operator first learned of the pipeline failure is
currently collected in part E. PHMSA proposes to move this item to Part
A. PHMSA also proposes adding new items to build a complete timeline
including interactions with emergency responders, spill response
resources, and details about ignition. This data would help
stakeholders develop a more thorough understanding of the accident.
5. Multiple National Response Center Reports
During response to accidents, pipeline operators often submit
multiple reports to the National Response Center (NRC). In these
instances, PHMSA proposes to collect each NRC report number. This
change would help PHMSA correlate our accident investigation findings
with the form.
6. Flow Control and Valve Closures
PHMSA proposes adding questions about initial actions the operator
took to control the flow of products to the failure location. When
valves are used, PHMSA proposes collecting the date and time of the
valve closure. This change would implement a Government Accountability
Office (GAO) recommendation from GAO-13-168 ``Pipeline Safety: Better
Data and Guidance needed to Improve Pipeline Operator Accident
Response.'' This change would allow stakeholders to understand the
actions taken by the operator to control the flow of products during
accident response and collect data about the elapsed time to valve
closure.
7. Area of Accident
PHMSA proposes adding ``exposed due to loss of cover'' as a
selection for the area of accident when ``Underground'' is selected.
For pipelines installed underground and eventually exposed, the current
form is not clear about whether ``Underground'' or ``Aboveground''
should be selected. Adding ``Exposed due to loss of cover'' as an
underground option clarifies how to report the accident. This change
would improve the consistency of reports.
8. Date of Water Crossing Evaluation
PHMSA proposes adding a question to collect the date of the most
recent evaluation of the water crossing. These formal evaluations can
provide information critical to protecting the integrity of water
crossings. This change would provide stakeholders with visibility of
this critical information.
[[Page 13702]]
9. Outer Continental Shelf Regions
PHMSA proposes collecting the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region
when an accident occurs on the OCS. This change would provide
stakeholders with a more precise location of the accident.
10. Item Involved and Age of Failed Item
PHMSA proposes modifying the selections for the item that failed.
These modifications would reduce the number of times ``Other'' is
selected and allow a more meaningful analysis of the data.
PHMSA proposes collecting both the date of manufacture and the date
of installation for the failed item. This would allow stakeholders to
understand both the age of the failed item and how long it had been in
service.
11. Details About Consequences
Departmental guidelines for determining the benefit of proposed
regulations (http://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.dev/files/docs/VSL%20Guidance%202013.pdf) include a table of relative values based on
the severity of injury. PHMSA's forms currently collect the number of
injured persons requiring in-patient overnight hospitalization. PHMSA
proposes adding two less severe categories to the forms; injuries
treated in a medical facility and injuries treated on-site. This data
would enable a more thorough determination of the benefit of proposed
regulations.
PHMSA proposes to collect information on the volume of product
consumed by fire. PHMSA already collects data about the volume of
product released and whether ignition occurred. However, PHMSA cannot
identify the volume of product burned. This data would allow PHMSA to
more accurately determine the social cost of carbon and benefit of
future proposed regulations.
PHMSA proposes to collect data on the number of buildings affected
by the accident. On the current forms, the property damage values do
not include any details about the type of property damaged. This data
would provide more details about the consequences of the accident and
enable a more thorough determination of the benefit of future proposed
regulations.
12. Establishing Maximum Pressure and Flow Reversals
PHMSA proposes adding the method used by the operator to establish
the maximum pressure for the pipeline system and the date the maximum
pressure was established. Operators would choose from the six methods
listed in 49 CFR 195.406. While each of the methods for establishing
the maximum pressure meet the regulatory requirement, safety factors
may differ between the methods. This data would help stakeholders
identify the pipeline's maximum pressure methods with the specific
safety factor.
PHMSA also proposes adding a question about flow reversals. This
data would help stakeholders have a better understanding of whether a
flow reversal may have impacted the maximum pressure.
13. Length of Segment Isolated
PHMSA proposes modifying the question about the length of pipeline
isolated during accident response. In the current form, an assumption
is made that valve closures will always be used to initially control
flow to the failure location. This change would clarify the length to
be reported when valves are not used to initially control flow to the
failure location.
14. External Corrosion and Stray Current
PHMSA proposes collecting additional details when stray current is
the cause of external corrosion. PHMSA also proposes to clarify the
conditions under which external corrosion cathodic protection is
expected. This data would help stakeholders better understand the cause
of external corrosion.
15. Natural Force Damage Additional Sub-Cause
PHMSA proposes adding tree root damage as a sub-cause in the
natural force damage cause category. This addition would reduce the
number of accidents reported with a cause of ``Other.''
16. Excavation Details For All Excavation Damage
In the current form, when a third party causes the excavation
damage, PHMSA collects details about the excavation work. PHMSA
proposes collecting details about the excavation work when the cause of
the damage is first, second, or third party. When pipeline operator
employees are excavating, and damage their own pipeline, the damage is
considered first party. When an excavator is working under contract for
the pipeline operator and damages the operator's pipeline, they are
considered a second party. First and second party excavation details
would allow stakeholders to understand the type of excavation work
being performed by any party causing the excavation damage.
The Common Ground Alliance recently changed the data structure for
its Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT). PHMSA proposes updating
the PHMSA accident report to match the revised DIRT data structure.
17. State Damage Prevention Law Exemptions
PHMSA proposes adding information about exemptions from state
damage prevention laws when the cause of the accident is excavation
damage. This data would help stakeholders identify states in which
damage prevention law exemptions may be associated with more frequent
excavation damage to pipelines.
18. Material Failure Cause Changes
When material failure of a pipe or weld causes the accident, a sub-
cause must be chosen. Errors in the design of pipeline facilities cause
some accidents, but currently, design is not included in any sub-cause.
PHMSA proposes adding design to the ``Construction-, Installation-, or
Fabrication-related'' sub-cause. This change would reduce the number of
reports with a cause of ``Other.''
PHMSA proposes adding ``Hard Spot'' as another environmental
cracking option. This is another type of environmental cracking that
should be available for selection. This change would reduce the number
of reports with a cause of ``Other.''
PHMSA proposes adding a question to collect the post-construction
pressure test value. When the pipe or a weld fails, the value of the
post-construction pressure test is important to determining if the
cause of the failure might have been present since original
construction. This change would provide additional data to determine
the cause of the pipe or weld failure.
19. Additional Integrity Inspection Data
PHMSA proposes collecting two sets of in-line inspection (ILI)
results. Under PHMSA regulations, operators conduct multiple rounds of
integrity inspections. This change would provide a history of ILIs
rather than just the most recent. The additional inspection data may
provide insights into the effectiveness of the various types of ILIs.
Also, in the current form, the same set of integrity inspection
questions appear in four different cause sections. Only one cause can
be selected so three sets of these questions are redundant. PHMSA
proposes having the questions appear once. PHMSA would also adjust
existing reports to have the questions appear only once. This change
would
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simplify the form by reducing the number of distinct data fields.
PHMSA proposes collecting the type of direct assessment when this
inspection method has been implemented. The additional inspection data
may provide insights about the effectiveness of the various types of
direct assessments.
20. Contributing Factors
Pipeline operators currently select only one cause on the form.
Factors contributing to, but not causing, an accident are often
relevant to preventing future accidents. PHMSA proposes collecting data
about contributing factors. The proposal is similar to a recommendation
made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a January
2015 safety study report which can be viewed at http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/Documents/SS1501.pdf. Collection of information
on contributing factors in addition to the apparent cause would help
stakeholders develop a more thorough understanding of the accident and
ways to prevent future accidents.
II. Summary of Impacted Collection
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 will submit to OMB for renewal. PHMSA expects many of the new
data elements are already known by the operator and no report requires
the completion of all fields on the forms. PHMSA has estimated the
burdens below by adding 20% to the previous burdens--12 hours instead
of 10.
The following information is provided for this 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 will request a three-
year term of approval for this information collection activity. PHMSA
requests comments on the following information:
1. Title: Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline:
Recordkeeping and Accident Reporting.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0047.
Current Expiration Date: 01/31/2023.
Type of Request: Revision.
Abstract: This information collection covers recordkeeping and
accident reporting by hazardous liquid pipeline operators who are
subject to 49 CFR part 195. Section 195.50 specifies the definition of
an ``accident'' that must be reported to PHMSA and the reporting
criteria for submitting a Hazardous Liquid Accident Report (form PHMSA
F 7000-1) is detailed in Sec. 195.54. PHMSA is proposing to revise the
form and instructions for PHMSA F 7000-1 for editorial and
clarification purposes.
Affected Public: Hazardous liquid pipeline operators.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Annual Responses: 1,232.
Annual Burden Hours: 53,229.
Comments are invited on:
(a) The need for the renewal and revision of these collections of
information for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
(b) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(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.
Authority: Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44
U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2020, under authority
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2020-04734 Filed 3-6-20; 8:45 am]
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