Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee Meeting (GPAC)

Please use the below Microsoft Teams link for the Wednesday, October 7, 2020, GPAC meeting.

Click Here to Launch Meeting

Meeting Connection Issues: If you experience connection issues, please contact Amy Allen by phone at (202) 680-2966 or via email at amy.allen @ dot.gov and specify "PAC Meeting Connection Issue."

GPAC will meet to discuss the Gas Pipeline Regulatory Reform NPRM that PHMSA published in the Federal Register on June 9, 2020 (85 FR 35240). GPAC will review the NPRM and its associated regulatory analysis.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

I. Meeting Agenda

GPAC will meet to discuss the Gas Pipeline Regulatory Reform NPRM that PHMSA published in the Federal Register on June 9, 2020 (85 FR 35240). GPAC will review the NPRM and its associated regulatory analysis.

In the NPRM, PHMSA proposed revisions to the federal pipeline safety regulations that would ease regulatory burdens on the construction, maintenance, and operation of gas transmission, distribution, and gathering pipeline systems. The proposed amendments include petitions for rulemaking, regulatory relief actions identified by internal agency review, and public comments submitted in response to two DOT infrastructure and regulatory reform notices: Transportation Infrastructure: Notice of Review of Policy, Guidance, and Regulation (82 FR 26734; June 8, 2017) and Notification of Regulatory Review (82 FR 45750; October 2, 2017). The rule is designed to provide flexibility in the inspection requirements for farm taps, allow remote monitoring for rectifier stations, adjust the monetary damage threshold for reporting incidents for inflation, revise the inspection interval for monitoring atmospheric corrosion on gas distribution service pipelines, and repeal distribution integrity management program requirements for master meter operators and submission requirements for mechanical fitting failure reports. The rule will also update the design standard for polyethylene pipe, raise the maximum diameter limit for polyethylene pipe, revise test requirements for pressure vessels, update welder requalification requirements to provide scheduling flexibility, and extend the allowance for pretested short segments of pipe and fabricated units to pipelines operating at a hoop stress of less than 30 percent of the specified minimum yield strength and more than 100 pounds per square inch.

II. Background

GPAC is a statutorily mandated advisory committee that provides PHMSA and the Secretary of Transportation with recommendations on proposed standards for the transportation of natural gas or hazardous liquids by pipeline. The committee was established in accordance with 49 U.S.C. — 60115 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), to review PHMSA's regulatory initiatives and determine their technical feasibility, reasonableness, cost-effectiveness, and practicability. The committee consists of 15 members, with membership evenly divided among federal and state governments, regulated industry, and the general public.

III. Public Participation

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 Tewabe Asebe regarding any possible changes.

• E-Gov Website: 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.
• Fax: 1 (202) 493-2251.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building: Room W12-140, Washington, D.C. 20590-0001.
• Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building: Room W12-140, Washington, D.C. 20590-0001, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.

PHMSA received your comments, please include a self-addressed stamped postcard that is labeled "Comments on PHMSA-2016-0136." The docket clerk will date stamp the postcard prior to returning it to you via the U.S. mail.

Note: All comments received will be posted without edits to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading for more information. Anyone can use the site to search all comments by the name of the submitting individual or, if the comment was submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc., the name of the signing individual. Therefore, please review the complete U.S. Department of Transportation Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register (65 FR 19477) or the Privacy Notice at https://www.regulations.gov before submitting comments.

Privacy Act Statement

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. The DOT posts these comments without edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to https://www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at https://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 Tewabe Asebe, DOT, PHMSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, PHP-30, Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. Any commentary PHMSA receives that is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket.

Docket: For access to the docket or to read background documents or comments, go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets. Alternatively, this information is available by visiting DOT at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building: Room W12-140, Washington, D.C. 20590-0001, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.