Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee
This notice announces a public meeting of the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, also known as the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee (LPAC). The me...
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2026-2773]
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 Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee, also known as the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee (LPAC). The meeting will be held virtually to discuss the following notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRMs): “Breakout Tank Inspection,” “Remote Monitoring ofHazardous Liquid PipelineRectifiers,” and “Hazardous Liquid Valve Maintenance Schedule.”
DATES:
The LPAC will meet on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST to discuss the NPRMs. The meeting may end early or later depending on when the committee completes its review. Members of the public who wish to attend are asked to register on the meeting website at
primis-meetings.phmsa.dot.gov/
no later than October 17, 2026. Individuals who require accommodations because of a disability must notify Joseph Berry by email at
joseph.berry1@dot.gov
by that date as well.
ADDRESSES:
The meeting will be held virtually. The agenda, registration details, and virtual access instructions will be posted at
primis-meetings.phmsa.dot.gov/.
Presentations will be available on the meeting website and at
www.regulations.gov
in the docket for the respective rulemakings as soon as practicable following the meeting.
Comments: Members of the public who wish to submit any additional written statement for the Committee's consideration may do so by October 7, 2026. PHMSA will also accept additional written comments after the meeting if received by no later than November 20, 2026. Submit comments to the docket number corresponding to the relevant rulemaking (as listed in section II below) using any of the following methods and identifying the docket number on the top of the first page:
By Mail or hand delivery to Docket Management System: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 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.
Comments may be viewed on the respective dockets on
www.regulations.gov.
Comments are posted without changes or edits, including any personal information provided. DOT's privacy statement can be reviewed at
www.dot.gov/privacy.
Confidential Business Information (CBI):
You may designate a comment as CBI if your comment contains commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private and that you actually treat as private by sending to the agency contact listed below, the following: (1) the original document with each page containing CBI marked as “confidential;” (2) a redacted copy with the CBI deleted; and (3) an explanation of why the information you are submitting is CBI.
See49 CFR 190.343. Any comment not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket.
The LPAC is a statutorily mandated advisory committee that provides PHMSA and the Secretary of Transportation with recommendations on proposed standards for the transportation of hazardous liquid by pipelines. 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 LPAC is tasked with reviewing and providing recommendations on the technical feasibility, reasonableness, cost-effectiveness, and practicability of PHMSA's proposed changes to the hazardous liquid pipeline safety regulations. The committee consists of 15 members, with membership evenly divided among Federal and State governments, regulated industry, and the general public.
II. Meeting Agenda
The LPAC will meet on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 to discuss the following NPRMs:
1. Pipeline Safety: Breakout Tank Inspection Rule,
Docket Number PHMSA-2025-1271. PHMSA proposed to update its 49 CFR part 195 regulations for breakout tanks to incorporate the 5th edition of API Std 653 (issued in November 2014 with addendums and errata through July 2025) by reference, and to authorize the use of risk-based inspection procedures for establishing the inspection intervals of in-service breakout tanks.
2. Pipeline Safety: Remote Monitoring of Hazardous Liquid PipelineRectifiers,
Docket Number PHMSA-2026-1550. PHMSA proposed amendments to clarify thatrequiredelectrical checks of rectifiers and other cathodic protection equipment may be performed remotely on hazardous liquid and carbon dioxide pipelines.Thisproposalis consistent with standards previously adopted for gas transmission pipelines.
3. Pipeline Safety: Hazardous Liquid Valve Maintenance Schedule,
Docket Number PHMSA-2026-1554. PHMSA proposed to allow operators of hazardous liquid and carbon dioxide pipelines todeterminea valve inspection schedule with a maximum valve inspection interval of one year, not to exceed 15 months.
The LPAC will review the NPRMs and supporting regulatory analyses, including, the preliminary regulatory impact analyses, environmental assessments, and other materials pertaining to the NPRM provided in the respective public docket.
Following the meeting, PHMSA will evaluate the LPAC's recommendations and consider comments received and relevant information from the meeting report in developing any final rules.
III. Public Participation
This virtual meeting will be open to the public. PHMSA also will record the meeting and post a record to the public docket.
Though verbal statements from members of the public will not be permitted during this meeting, PHMSA invites written comments. Members of the public who wish to submit any additional written statement for the Committee's consideration may do so by October 7, 2026. PHMSA also will accept additional written comments after the meeting if received by November 20, 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. Individuals should check the meeting website or contact Joseph Berry regarding any possible changes.
Issued in Washington, DC, under authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
primis-meetings.phmsa.dot.gov/
www.regulations.gov
www.dot.gov/privacy
49 CFR 190.343
49 U.S.C. 60115