[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8699-8701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02610]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No PHMSA-2013-0003]
Pipeline Safety: Information Collection Activities, Revision to
Annual Report for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems
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, the
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) invites
comments on its intention to revise form PHMSA F 7000-1.1--Annual
Report for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems, and its intention to
request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
revised information collection burdens.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on or before
April 8, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in the following ways:
E-Gov Web Site: 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-2012-0024, 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 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-
2012-0024.'' 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
[[Page 8700]]
consider an alternative method (Internet, fax, or professional delivery
service) of submitting comments to the docket and ensuring their timely
receipt at DOT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Dow by telephone at 202-366-
1246, 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:
A. Background
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 a revised information collection
request that PHMSA will be submitting to OMB for approval. The
information collected from hazardous liquid operators' annual reports
is an important tool for identifying safety trends in the hazardous
liquid pipeline industry.
B. Proposed Changes to the Annual Report for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline
Systems
PHMSA is proposing to revise the Annual Report for Hazardous Liquid
Pipeline Systems (PHMSA F 7000-1.1, hazardous liquid annual report
form) to:
(1) Remove sections A3, A6, and A8 which are of limited value (PART
A);
(2) Obtain additional information on a by-state basis (PARTS D and
E);
(3) Improve information collection on mileage of older pipe (PART
I); and
(4) Require reporting of actionable anomalies removed due to pipe
replacement or abandonment (PART F).
Background for these revisions, including the PART location on the
hazardous liquid annual report, is as follows:
(1) Remove Sections A3, A6, and A8 (PART A)
Removal of section A3: Section A3- ``Individual Where Additional
Information May be Obtained'' is of limited value since similar
information is available in PARTS N and O. This change will only result
in an amendment to the form without any burden hour impacts.
Removal of sections A6 and A8: Section A6 of the hazardous liquid
annual report allows each submitter to characterize its pipelines and/
or the pipeline facilities covered by its Operator Identification
(OPID) and commodity group that are included in an integrity management
program under 49 CFR 195.452. Section A8 allows for submitters to
identify whether they had any changes from last year's filing. PHMSA
has determined that these sections provide limited value and should be
removed. This change will only result in an amendment to the form
without any burden hour impacts.
(2) Obtain Additional Information on a By-State Basis (Parts D and E)
Currently, the annual report information is collected on a by-state
basis for PARTS H, I, J, K, L and M. PHMSA proposes to additionally
collect information in PART D ``Miles of Steel Pipe by Corrosion
Protection'' and PART E ``Miles of Electric Resistance Welded (ERW)
Pipe'' by state. PHMSA believes that most of the regulated hazardous
liquid pipeline industry already collects this information on a by-
state basis so the burden for providing it would be minimal. The
information in these two PARTs is currently collected from gas
transmission pipeline operators who have about twice the mileage as
hazardous liquid operators. This information is essential for PHMSA's
response to state regulators, Congress, state officials, and the public
following pipeline incidents. This information also helps state
pipeline safety agencies carry out their oversight responsibilities.
(3) Improve Information Collection on Mileage of Older Pipe (Part I)
In PART I- Miles of Pipe by Decade Installed, the form asks for
``Pre-20's or Unknown'' decades in one category. Recent accidents on
older pipe continue to emphasize the need for information about the age
of the pipeline infrastructure; thus, PHMSA believes the information
for pipe installed prior to the 1920s should not be comingled with pipe
installed at an unknown period. Therefore, PHMSA is proposing to have a
category for ``Pre-20's'' and a category for ``Unknown'' decade of
installation.
(4) Require Reporting of Actionable Anomalies Removed Due to Pipe
Replacement or Abandonment (Part F)
The annual report currently collects information about the number
of anomalies repaired in response to integrity assessments in PART F.
During data quality checks of the 2010 data, PHMSA learned that many
anomalies are eliminated from hazardous liquid pipeline systems by pipe
replacement or abandonment. This data is crucial to demonstrating the
benefits of integrity management programs.
C. Summary of Impacted Collection
PHMSA consulted industry and trade association representatives of
the American Petroleum Institute and state pipeline safety
representatives through the National Association of Pipeline Safety
Representatives in considering revisions to the hazardous liquid
pipeline operator annual report form to make the information collected
more useful to industry, government, and the public.
PHMSA has revised burden estimates, where appropriate, to reflect
revisions to the annual report form since the information collection
was last approved. PHMSA estimates that ten percent of reporting
companies will abandon or replace pipe in high-consequences areas in
any given year and 30 additional minutes would be required to collect
and report the information, resulting in an increase in burden of 16.75
hours (335 reports x .10 affected x .5 hours). For the purpose of
calculating burden hours, this amount has been rounded up to 17
additional hours for a total reporting burden of 8,063 (8,046 + 17)
hours.
The following information is provided for each information
collection:
(1) Abstract for the affected annual report form; (2) title of the
information collection; (3) OMB control number; (4) affected annual
report form; (5) description of affected public; (6) estimate of total
annual reporting and recordkeeping burden; and (7) frequency of
collection. PHMSA will request a three-year term of approval for each
information collection activity and, when approved by OMB, publish
notice of the approval in the Federal Register.
PHMSA requests comments on the following information collection:
Title: Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline:
Recordkeeping and Annual Reporting.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0614.
Current Expiration Date: 1/31/2014.
Type of Request: Revision.
Abstract: To ensure adequate public protection from exposure to
potential hazardous liquid pipeline failures, PHMSA collects
information on reportable hazardous liquid pipeline accidents.
Additional information is also obtained concerning the characteristics
of an operator's pipeline system on the Annual Report for Hazardous
Liquid Pipeline Systems form (PHMSA F 7000-1.1). This information is
needed for normalizing the accident information to provide for adequate
safety trending. The Annual Report for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline
Operators form is required to be filed annually by June 15 of each year
for the preceding calendar year.
[[Page 8701]]
Affected Public: Hazardous liquid pipeline operators.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Total Annual Responses: 447.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 8,063 (8,046 + 17).
Frequency of collection: Annually.
Comments are invited on:
(a) The need for the proposed collection 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.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2013.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations.
[FR Doc. 2013-02610 Filed 2-5-13; 8:45 am]
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