[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 128 (Thursday, July 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36179-36180]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14582]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2020-0164]


Frequently Asked Questions on 911 Notifications Following 
Possible Pipeline Ruptures

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

ACTION: Notice; draft frequently asked questions.

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SUMMARY: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 
(PHMSA) is soliciting public comment on draft frequently asked 
questions (FAQs) intended to clarify existing regulatory requirements 
that operators of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines 
and hazardous liquid pipelines alert emergency responders when a 
pipeline emergency occurs. The draft FAQs explain that compliance with 
these existing requirements is best achieved when operators promptly 
identify a possible rupture and alert emergency responders in the 
impacted community or jurisdiction through 911 services, or direct 
contact with emergency responders in areas where 911 services are not 
available.

DATES: Comments on the draft FAQs should be submitted to Docket No. 
PHMSA-2020-0164 no later than August 9, 2021.

ADDRESSES: E-Gov Web: http://www.regulations.gov. This site allows the 
public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice issued by any 
agency. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Docket Management System: U.S. Department of 
Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Department of Transportation (DOT) Docket 
Management System: West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through 
Friday, except federal holidays.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Instructions: Identify the Docket No. PHMSA-2020-0164, at 
the beginning of your comments. If you submit your comments by mail, 
submit two copies. If you wish to receive confirmation that PHMSA 
received your comments, include a self-addressed stamped postcard. 
Internet users may submit comments at http://www.regulations.gov.

[[Page 36180]]

     Privacy Act: DOT may solicit comments from the public 
regarding certain general notices. DOT posts these comments, without 
edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to 
www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/
ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy.
     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. Submissions containing CBI 
should be sent to Byron Coy at Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration, Eastern Region, PHP-100, 840 Bear Tavern Rd., Suite 
300., West Trenton, New Jersey 08628. Any commentary PHMSA receives 
that is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public 
docket for this matter.
     Docket: For access to the docket to read background 
documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets. 
Alternatively, you may review the documents in person at the street 
address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Byron Coy, Senior Technical Advisor, 
Program Development Division, by telephone at 609-433-2173, or by email 
at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2011, NTSB issued several safety 
recommendations following its investigation of the natural gas pipeline 
rupture and explosion that occurred on September 9, 2010, in San Bruno, 
California. Finding that the operator of the pipeline, Pacific Gas and 
Electric Company (PG&E), had not notified emergency officials that the 
accident involved the rupture of one of PG&E's pipelines, NTSB made the 
following recommendation to PHMSA:

Require operators of natural gas transmission and distribution 
pipelines and hazardous liquid pipelines to ensure that their 
control room operators immediately and directly notify the 911 
emergency call center(s) for the communities and jurisdictions in 
which those pipelines are located when a possible rupture of any 
pipeline is indicated. (P-11-9)

    Under existing pipeline safety regulations, operators are required 
to alert emergency responders when a pipeline emergency occurs. Section 
192.615(a)(8) requires operators of natural gas pipelines to notify 
appropriate fire, police, and other public officials of gas pipeline 
emergencies. Section 195.402(e)(7) requires operators of hazardous 
liquid pipelines to do the same. Operators are also required to 
establish and maintain means of communication with appropriate fire, 
police, and other public officials under Sec. Sec.  192.615(a)(2) and 
195.402(c)(12).
    In response to NTSB's recommendation, PHMSA first surveyed existing 
FAQs in related areas to determine if, and where, 911 notification 
following a possible rupture had already been addressed. As part of its 
research, PHMSA examined general PHMSA and pipeline safety FAQs, as 
well as FAQs related to gas transmission, gas distribution, hazardous 
liquid integrity management, control room management (CRM), and 
operator qualification.
    PHMSA found that existing FAQs most closely related to this topic 
are those addressing CRM. These FAQs (listed in the Appendix) include 
the following:
     C.07 and C.09, which address emergency communications.
     F.01, G.02, G.03, H.06, and H.07, which cover emergency 
operations.
    PHMSA found, however, that the existing FAQs do not explicitly 
address 911 notification in response to a possible pipeline rupture. In 
addition, while the FAQs pertain to CRM, some pipelines operate without 
a control room.
    PHMSA considered adding 911 notifications to existing FAQs but 
determined that could dilute the importance of emergency notification 
requirements, as well as divert attention from the specific topic of 
the existing FAQs. Accordingly, PHMSA believes that the safety issues 
raised in NTSB's recommendation are of sufficient importance to merit 
new FAQs. In addition, since control room personnel may be fully 
occupied during an emergency addressing the emergency itself, an 
operator's procedures could assign the duty to notify emergency 
responders to others. Also, many smaller pipeline operators do not have 
control rooms. As a result, PHMSA is creating guidance for all 
operators to contact emergency responders without specifically stating 
that it must be the pipeline controllers who make the notification, as 
mentioned in the NTSB recommendation.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 2, 2021, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2021-14582 Filed 7-7-21; 8:45 am]
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