[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 199 (Monday, October 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52050-52051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22299]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2017-0091]
Pipeline Safety: Request for Special Permit; Hilcorp Alaska, LLC
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comment on a
request for special permit, seeking relief from compliance with certain
requirements in the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations. At the
conclusion of the 30-day comment period, PHMSA will review the comments
received from this notice as part of its evaluation to grant or deny
the special permit request.
DATES: Submit any comments regarding this special permit request by
November 14, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Comments should reference the docket number for the specific
special permit request and 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 System: U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: Docket Management System: U.S. Department
of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, between
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
Instructions: You should identify the docket number for the special
permit request you are commenting on at the beginning of your comments.
If you submit your comments by mail, please submit two copies. To
receive
[[Page 52051]]
confirmation that PHMSA has received your comments, please include a
self-addressed stamped postcard. Internet users may submit comments at
http://www.Regulations.gov.
Note: There is a privacy statement published on http://www.Reglations.gov. Comments, including any personal information
provided, are posted without changes or edits to http://www.Regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
General: Ms. Kay McIver by telephone at 202-366-0113, or email at
[email protected].
Technical: Mr. Joshua Johnson by telephone at 816-329-3825, or
email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PHMSA received a special permit request from Hilcorp Alaska, LLC
(Hilcorp) to deviate from the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations
(PSRs) in 49 CFR 195.563 and 195.573 for the design, construction, and
operation and maintenance (O&M) of the proposed Liberty Pipeline. The
PSRs require hazardous liquid (HL) pipeline operators to have cathodic
protection to prevent external corrosion and to monitor the level of
external corrosion control to ensure adequate protection from pipeline
metal loss. Whereas Hilcorp is seeking a waiver from Sec. Sec. 195.563
and 195.573, PHMSA proposes that Hilcorp conduct alternative integrity
measures to maintain safety through the implementation of proposed
special permit conditions.
The proposed Liberty Pipeline will originate on Liberty Drilling
and Production Island (LDPI), an artificial island located in Foggy
Island Bay of the Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf and State of
Alaska waters. The Liberty Pipeline consists of 7.2 miles of 12.75-inch
diameter HL interstate pipeline (carrier pipeline) and will transport
crude oil. The submerged portion of the Liberty Pipeline will utilize a
pipe-in-pipe design (12.75-inch diameter carrier pipe installed within
16-inch casing pipe). The maximum water depth along the route is 19
feet at LDPI. The special permit request is for approximately 5.7 miles
of the carrier pipeline located offshore in the Beaufort Sea.
The 5.7 miles of offshore carrier pipe will be installed in 16-inch
casing pipe (pipe-in-pipe) to protect against crude oil spills from any
leaks or other failures of the carrier pipeline. The pipe-in-pipe will
be designed and constructed and O&M procedures will be implemented to
prevent, monitor, and mitigate the creation of a corrosive environment
and stresses that might occur through the operational life of the
Liberty Pipeline. The pipe-in-pipe will be designed and operated as
secondary containment against carrier pipeline crude oil in the segment
located in offshore waters. The purpose of the special permit, with its
implemented conditions, is to assure safety and environmental
protection in lieu of compliance with Sec. Sec. 195.563 and 195.573.
The maximum operating pressure of the carrier pipeline will be
1,480 pounds per square inch gauge (psig). The Liberty Pipeline will
transport crude oil to and through the Badami and Endicott Pipelines
and then to the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). The TAPS will
transport the Liberty Pipeline crude oil to a terminal in Valdez,
Alaska, where tankers will then transport crude oil to the West Coast.
The Liberty Pipeline will be installed in a remote area of Alaska that
is not populated, in an area where federally listed threatened and/or
endangered species exist and that is identified as an unusually
sensitive area. Pipelines in such areas must be operated in compliance
with the pipeline integrity management provisions as specified in 49
CFR 195.6, 195.450, and 195.452.
The proposed special permit and Draft Environmental Assessment
(DEA) for the Liberty Pipeline are available in Docket No. PHMSA-2017-
0091 at http://www.Regulations.gov for public review and comment. We
invite interested persons to review and submit comments on the special
permit request, DEA, and other background materials in the docket.
Please include any comments on potential safety and environmental
impacts that may result if the special permit is granted. Comments may
include relevant data.
Before issuing a decision on the special permit request, PHMSA will
evaluate all comments received on or before the comment closing date.
Comments received after the closing date will be evaluated if it is
possible to do so without incurring additional expense or delay. PHMSA
will consider each relevant comment we receive in making our decision
to grant or deny a request.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 9, 2018, under authority
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2018-22299 Filed 10-12-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P