81 FR 29247 - Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Gas Pipeline Safety Advisory Committee and the Liquid Pipeline Safety Advisory Committee

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 91 (May 11, 2016)

This notice announces a public meeting of the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC), also known as the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, and the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee (LPAC), also known as the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee. The GPAC will meet to discuss a proposed rulemaking to address regulatory requirements involving plastic piping systems used in gas services and both committees will meet jointly to discuss a proposed rulemaking to strengthen the federal pipeline safety regulations and to address sections 9 (accident and incident reporting) and 13 (cost recovery for design-review work) of the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (2011 Act). Both committees will also be briefed on the ``Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas Transmission and Gathering Pipelines'' proposed rulemaking.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 11, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 29247-29248]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11119]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

49 CFR Parts 190, 191, 192, 195, and 199

[Docket No. PHMSA-2016-0032]


Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Gas Pipeline Safety Advisory 
Committee and the Liquid Pipeline Safety Advisory Committee

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

ACTION: Notice of advisory committee meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting of the Gas Pipeline 
Advisory Committee (GPAC), also known as the Technical Pipeline Safety 
Standards Committee, and the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee (LPAC), 
also known as the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards 
Committee. The GPAC will meet to discuss a proposed rulemaking to 
address regulatory requirements involving plastic piping systems used 
in gas services and both committees will meet jointly to discuss a 
proposed rulemaking to strengthen the federal pipeline safety 
regulations and to address sections 9 (accident and incident reporting) 
and 13 (cost recovery for design-review work) of the Pipeline Safety, 
Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (2011 Act). Both 
committees will also be briefed on the ``Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas

[[Page 29248]]

Transmission and Gathering Pipelines'' proposed rulemaking.

DATES: The committees will meet as follows:
     Wednesday, June 1, 2016, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., ET--
GPAC only
     Thursday, June 2, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., ET--
Joint Meeting (GPAC/LPAC)
     Friday, June 3, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., ET.--
LPAC only
The meetings will not be webcast; however, presentations will be 
available on the meeting Web site and posted on the E-Gov Web site: 
http://www.regulations.gov under docket number PHMSA-2016-0032 within 
30 days following the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at a location yet to be determined 
in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. The meeting location, agenda 
and any additional information will be published on the following 
pipeline advisory committee meeting and registration page at https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=113.

Public Participation

    This meeting will be open to the public. Members of the public who 
wish to attend in person are asked to RSVP to [email protected] 
with your name and affiliation no later than May 23, 2016, in order to 
facilitate entry and guarantee seating. Members of the public who 
attend in person will also be provided an opportunity to make a 
statement during the meeting.
    Services for Individuals with Disabilities: The public meeting is 
physically accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals 
requiring accommodations, such as sign language interpretation or other 
ancillary aids, are asked to notify Cheryl Whetsel at 
[email protected] by May 23, 2016.
    Written comments: Persons who wish to submit written comments on 
the meeting may be submitted to the docket 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 20590-001.
    Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the ground level of the DOT West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. 
and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
    Instructions: Identify the docket number PHMSA-2016-0032 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 view the Privacy Notice at 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 the DOT West Building, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 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-2016-0032.'' 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 consider 
an alternative method (Internet, fax, or professional delivery service) 
of submitting comments to the docket and ensuring their timely receipt 
at DOT.

Privacy Act Statement

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its rulemaking process. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the meeting, 
contact Cheryl Whetsel by phone at 202-366-4431 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Meeting Details and Agenda

    The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration will 
hold meetings of the GPAC and LPAC. The GPAC will be considering and 
voting on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled: Pipeline 
Safety: Plastic Pipe Rule (80 FR 29263; May 21, 2015), and in a joint 
meeting of the GPAC and LPAC, members will consider and vote on the 
NPRM titled: Pipeline Safety: Operator Qualification, Cost Recovery, 
Accident and Incident Notification, and Other Pipeline Safety Proposed 
Changes (80 FR 39916; July 10, 2015). Other topics of discussion will 
include the regulatory agenda and agency and stakeholder priorities. A 
briefing on the NPRM, titled: Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas 
Transmission and Gathering Pipelines (81 FR 20722; April 8, 2016), will 
also be presented to both committees and the public.
    The agenda will be published to include committee discussions and 
votes on the two rules mentioned above. PHMSA staff will also brief the 
committees on several regulatory and policy initiatives.

II. Committee Background

    The GPAC and LPAC are statutorily-mandated advisory committees that 
advise PHMSA on proposed safety standards, risk assessments, and safety 
policies for natural gas pipelines and for hazardous liquid pipelines. 
Both committees were established under the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C. App. 1) and the Pipeline Safety Law (49 
U.S.C. Chap. 601). Each committee consists of 15 members--with 
membership evenly divided among the federal and state government, the 
regulated industry, and the public. The committees advise PHMSA on the 
technical feasibility, practicability, and cost-effectiveness of each 
proposed pipeline safety standard.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2016, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Acting Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2016-11119 Filed 5-10-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-60-P