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Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee

This notice announces a public meeting of the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, also known as the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC), to discuss the notice of p...

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Department of Transportation

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2021-0046]

AGENCY:

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA); Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice of advisory committee meeting.

SUMMARY:

This notice announces a public meeting of the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, also known as the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC), to discuss the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), titled “Safety of Gas Distribution Pipelines and Other Pipeline Safety Initiatives.”

DATES:

The GPAC will meet on Thursday, May 28, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST to discuss the NPRM. Please note the meeting may end earlier or later depending on when the GPAC completes its review of the NPRM. Members of the public who wish to attend are asked to register no later than May 22, 2026. PHMSA requests that individuals who require accommodations because of a disability notify Joe Berry by email at joseph.berry1@dot.gov at least five days prior to the meeting. Public comments on the proceedings of the meeting must be submitted by June 29, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. While the meeting will be conducted in person, seating is limited. PHMSA will provide a virtual format for those unable to attend in person. The agenda, registration details, and virtual access instructions will be posted at: https://primis-meetings.phmsa.dot.gov/. Presentations will be available on the meeting website and at https://www.regulations.gov/ in docket number PHMSA-2021-0046 as soon as practicable following the meeting. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:

E-Gov Web: https://www.regulations.gov. This site allows the public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice issued by any agency. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Mail or hand delivery: Docket Management System: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001. Hand delivery is available between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Submit two copies if you submit your comment by mail, and, include a self-addressed stamped postcard if you wish to receive confirmation of receipt.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
Instructions: Identify the docket number PHMSA-2021-0046 at the beginning of your comments. Note: All comments received are posted without edits to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.
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 http://www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at http://www.dot.gov/privacy.
Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments in response to this notice contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to this notice, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Pursuant to 49 CFR 190.343, you may ask PHMSA to provide confidential treatment to information you give to the agency by taking the following steps: (1) mark each page of the original document submission containing CBI as “Confidential;” (2) send PHMSA a copy of the original document with the CBI deleted along with the original, unaltered document; and (3) explain why the information you are submitting is CBI. Unless you are notified otherwise, PHMSA will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the Freedom of Information Act and they will not be placed in the public docket of this notice. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Joseph Berry, Office of Pipeline Safety (PHP-30), PHMSA, 2nd Floor, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001, or by email at joseph.berry1@dot.gov. Any material PHMSA receives that is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets. Alternatively, you may review the documents in person at the street address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joe Berry by phone at 720-601-3577 or by email at joseph.berry1@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Meeting Agenda

The GPAC will meet on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss the NPRM, titled “Safety of Gas Distribution Pipelines and Other Pipeline Safety Initiatives.” ^[1] The GPAC will review the NPRM and its associated regulatory analyses, including, but not limited to, the cost-benefit and risk assessment analyses contained in the preliminary regulatory impact analysis; environmental assessments; and other materials pertaining to the NPRM provided in the public docket.

In the NPRM, PHMSA proposed amendments that would require operators of gas distribution pipelines to update their distribution integrity management programs (DIMP), emergency response plans, and operations and maintenance manuals, and to implement other safety practices. The NPRM also proposed to codify the use of the State Inspection Calculation Tool and to apply annual reporting requirements to small, liquefied petroleum gas operators in lieu of following DIMP requirements. The proposed amendments addressed certain provisions of the Leonel Rondon Pipeline Safety Act—enacted as part of the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020—and a National ( printed page 25756) Transportation Safety Board recommendation.^[2 3]

Following the GPAC meeting, PHMSA will evaluate the GPAC's recommendations and publish a final rule that addresses the comments received and relevant information from the GPAC meeting report.

II. Information on the GPAC

The GPAC is a statutorily mandated advisory committee that provides PHMSA and the Secretary of Transportation with recommendations on proposed standards for the transportation of gas by pipeline. Established in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 60115 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA, 5 U.S.C. Ch. 10), the GPAC is tasked with reviewing and providing recommendations on the technical feasibility, reasonableness, cost-effectiveness, and practicability of PHMSA's proposed changes to the gas pipeline safety regulations. The committee consists of 15 members, with membership evenly divided among Federal and State governments, regulated industry, and the general public.

III. Public Participation

The meeting will be open to the public; however, in-person seating is limited. For those unable to attend in person, the meeting will also be accessible via a virtual format. In addition, PHMSA will record the meeting and post a record to the public docket. All participants—whether they attend in person or virtually—must register through the official meeting website. When registering, please provide your name and affiliation. PHMSA is committed to providing all participants with equal access to this meeting. If you need an accommodation due to a disability, please contact Joe Berry by phone at 720-601-3577 or by email at joseph.berry1@dot.gov.

Verbal statements from members of the public will not be permitted during this meeting; however, PHMSA invites written comments during a 30-day period following the meeting. Written public comments on the proceedings of the meeting must be submitted by June 29, 2026.

PHMSA is not always able to publish a notice in the Federal Register quickly enough to provide timely notice regarding last-minute issues that impact a previously announced advisory committee meeting. Therefore, individuals should check the meeting website or contact Joe Berry regarding any possible changes.

Issued in Washington, DC, under authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.

Linda Daugherty

Acting Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.

Footnotes

1. 88 FR 61746 (Sept. 7, 2023). The public docket for the Gas Distribution NPRM can be found at https://regulations.gov in Docket No. PHMSA-2021-0046.

Back to Citation

2. PIPES Act of 2020, Public Law 116-260, 134 Stat. 1182 (Dec. 27, 2020).

3. NTSB, PAR-19/02, Overpressurization of Natural Gas Distribution System, Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts (2019).

Back to Citation

[FR Doc. 2026-09304 Filed 5-8-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-60-P

Legal Citation

Federal Register Citation

Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.

91 FR 25755

Web Citation

Suggested Web Citation

Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.

“Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee,” thefederalregister.org (May 11, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-09304/pipeline-safety-meeting-of-the-gas-pipeline-advisory-committee.