[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 73395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26052]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2022-0161]


Pipeline Safety: Informational Public Meeting Addressing Multiple 
Safety Topics Including Methane Emission Reduction, Safety Bulletins, 
and NTSB Recommendations

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

ACTION: Notice of an informational public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces an informational public meeting to 
address multiple safety topics including progress on reduction of 
methane emissions, energy transformation, safety bulletins, and 
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations. PHMSA will 
also webcast the in-person public meeting in Houston, Texas, which is 
scheduled for December 13-15, 2022.

DATES: The informational public meeting will be held on December 13-15, 
2022, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., CT at the Westin Galleria, in 
Houston, Texas. Members of the public who wish to attend this meeting 
are asked to register no later than December 7, 2022. Individuals 
requiring accommodations, such as sign language interpretation or other 
aids, are asked to notify Jessica Appel by email at 
[email protected] no later than November 30, 2022. PHMSA will 
also webcast this meeting. For additional information, please see the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: The informational public meeting will be held at: Westin 
Galleria Houston, 5060 West Alabama Street, Houston, Texas. The agenda 
and instructions on how to attend are available on the meeting website 
at https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=161.
    Presentations from the informational public meeting will be 
available on the meeting website no later than 5 business days 
following the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Daugherty by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The mission of PHMSA is to protect people and the environment by 
advancing the safe transportation of energy products and other 
hazardous materials that are essential to our daily lives. PHMSA's 
mission includes prevention of the release of natural gas which 
releases methane into the atmosphere. PHMSA is aggressively pursuing 
the DOT Strategic Goals of Safety, Climate & Sustainability, and 
Transformation in efforts to be profiled during the informational 
public meeting. PHMSA will discuss with the public and industry how it 
is improving safety by issuing advisory bulletins based on lessons 
learned from events like the geohazard related failure which threatened 
the community of Satartia, Mississippi, and the crude oil spill 
following an anchor strike on an offshore pipeline near Long Beach, 
California. PHMSA will also discuss recent learnings related to hard 
spot analyses and challenges presented by pipeline flow reversals. The 
meeting will highlight technology transformations to combat climate 
change and keep aging pipeline infrastructure safe for use in 
transporting energy of the future.
    Additionally, the NTSB recently recommended that PHMSA revise its 
regulations for potential impact radius (PIR) calculations and this 
meeting will provide the Agency an opportunity to gather input from 
both industry and public stakeholders. Ensuring PIR calculations fully 
consider the potential impacts to congested urban areas is particularly 
important and supports efforts to ensure equitable safety protections 
for all people.
    The informational public meeting will continue a dialogue on the 
Agency's climate and energy transformation efforts, such as reducing 
methane emissions, and PHMSA's current role regarding carbon dioxide 
and hydrogen pipelines. PHMSA anticipates further discussion on these 
important matters in 2023.
    The overall purpose of the informational public meeting is to share 
important safety information with the public and industry as well as 
gather input to inform future rulemaking decisions.

II. Informational Public Meeting Details and Agenda

    The informational public meeting will take place in-person December 
13-15, 2022, in Houston, Texas. During the meeting, PHMSA will review a 
variety of topics and invite participant input. Following opening 
remarks, the webinar will address the following topics: (1) Recent and 
Potential Safety Advisories (Geohazard/Land Movement, Maritime Issues, 
Hard Spots, Flow Reversals); (2) The Future: Technology and New 
Regulatory Requirements (Technology Transfer: Innovative Tools That Can 
Be Used by Industry and PHMSA's New Regulation Implementation Process); 
(3) Failure Investigation Forum (Overview of Recent Accidents/Incidents 
and Common Enforcement Items Found During Incidents); (4) Potential 
Impact Radius (Discussion of Incident and NTSB Recommendation); and (5) 
The Future: Climate and Energy Transformation (Reducing Methane 
Emissions, Hydrogen and Hydrogen Blending, Carbon Dioxide/Carbon 
Capture, Utilization, and Storage.)

III. Public Participation

    The informational meeting will be open to the public. Members of 
the public who wish to attend are requested to register on the meeting 
website and include their names and organization affiliation (see 
ADDRESSES). PHMSA is committed to providing all participants with equal 
access to these meetings. If you need special accommodations, please 
contact Jessica Appel by email at [email protected].
    PHMSA is not always able to publish a notice in the Federal 
Register quickly enough to provide timely notification regarding last 
minute changes that impact a previously announced meeting. Therefore, 
individuals should check the meeting website listed in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice regarding any possible changes.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 23, 2022, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2022-26052 Filed 11-28-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P