[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10689-10690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03369]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2013-0029]
Pipeline Safety: Public Forum State One-Call Exemptions
AGENCY: Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice; public forum.
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SUMMARY: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
will sponsor a public forum on state one-call exemptions. The forum
will be held on March 14, 2013, in West Palm Beach, Florida at the Palm
Beach County Convention Center. At the forum, PHMSA will discuss the
requirements of the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty and Job
Creation Act of 2011 relating to exemptions in state one-call programs
and actions taken to date. In addition, damage prevention stakeholders
will discuss existing data relating to this topic and present
perspectives during panel discussions.
DATES: The public forum will be held on Thursday, March 14, 2013, from
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST. Name badge pickup and onsite registration
will be available starting at 8:30 a.m. Refer to the forum Web site for
the agenda and times at: http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=85. Please note that the public forum will be webcast
live and presentations will be available on the forum Web site within
30 days following the public forum.
ADDRESSES: The forum is open to all. There is no cost to attend. The
forum will be held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, 650
Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida, 33401. PHMSA is holding
the forum at this location because it is the same location where the
Common Ground Alliance (CGA) 811 Excavation Safety Conference & Expo
will be held March 11-14, 2013, and many of the likely attendees for
the PHMSA Forum will participate in the CGA Excavation Safety
Conference. Attendees can make hotel arrangements for the PHMSA Forum
under the CGA room block at a rate of $199.00 per night. Further
details can be found at http://www.cgaconference.com.
Registration: To help assure that adequate space is provided, all
attendees are encouraged to register for the workshop at http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=85.
Comments: Members of the public may also submit written comments,
either before or after the workshop. Comments should reference Docket
No. PHMSA-2013-0029. 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. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management System, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, Washington,
DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: DOT Docket Management System, Room W12-140,
on the ground floor of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
Instructions: Identify the Docket No. at the beginning of your
comments. If you submit your comments by mail, submit two copies. If
you wish to receive confirmation that PHMSA has received your comments,
include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Internet users may submit
comments at http://www.regulations.gov. Note: Comments will be posted
without changes or edits to http://www.regulations.gov including any
personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading in
the Regulatory Analyses and Notices section of the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for additional information.
Privacy Act Statement: Anyone may search the electronic form of all
comments received for any of our dockets. You may review DOT's complete
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published April 11, 2000
(65 FR 19477).
Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: For
information on facilities or services for individuals with
disabilities, or to request special assistance at the meeting, please
contact Annmarie Robertson at 317-253-1622, or by email at
annmarie.robertson@dot.gov by March 4, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annmarie Robertson, Office of Pipeline
Safety, at 317-253-1622 or email at annmarie.robertson@dot.gov,
regarding the subject matter of this notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3 of the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory
Certainty and Job Creation Act of 2011 (Pub. L. 112-90) requires that
PHMSA address exemptions in state one-call laws in two ways: As a
factor in determining eligibility for certain grants, and in a
requirement to prepare a state-by-state exemption study. With respect
to grant eligibility, in order to qualify for a state one-call grant
under 49 U.S.C. 6106, a state may not provide any exemptions to
municipalities, state agencies, or their contractors from the one-call
notification system requirements of the program. This amendment takes
effect 1/3/2014.
With respect to the study on the impact of exemptions on pipeline
safety, Section 3(d) states:
(1) Study.--The Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a study
on the impact of excavation damage on pipeline safety.
(2) Contents.--The study shall include--
(A) an analysis of the frequency and severity of different types of
excavation damage incidents;
(B) an analysis of exemptions to the one-call notification system
requirements in each State;
(C) a comparison of exemptions to the one-call notification system
requirements in each State to the types of excavation damage incidents
in that State; and
(D) an analysis of the potential safety benefits and adverse
consequences of eliminating all exemptions for mechanized excavation
from State one-call notification systems.
(3) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a report on the results of the study.
[[Page 10690]]
PHMSA has conducted a preliminary analysis of the exemptions found
in state one-call laws and regulations. PHMSA is in the process of
developing a plan for addressing grant eligibility in accordance with
the law and will continue to work with stakeholders concerning this
requirement. This public forum will allow PHMSA, state pipeline safety
representatives, excavators, pipeline operators, one-call centers, the
public, facility locators, and stakeholders often affected by one-call
exemptions such as railroads, local government and the farming
community to share data and observations resulting from one-call
exemptions and the impact of removing such exemptions. This input will
facilitate PHMSA's ability to complete the study required in Section 3
of the law.
Participants of the public forum will benefit from: (1)
Understanding the issue and the current status of states with regard to
exemptions in one-call laws; (2) understanding the issues concerning
the availability of data to support or challenge existing exemptions;
and (3) listening to panelists present perspectives, both positive and
negative, on the existence of exemptions in state one-call laws.
Interested persons may obtain more information on damage prevention
at: http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/DamagePrevention.htm.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 8, 2013.
Linda Daugherty,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs.
[FR Doc. 2013-03369 Filed 2-13-13; 8:45 am]
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