Notice2021-14582
Frequently Asked Questions on 911 Notifications Following Possible Pipeline Ruptures
Primary source
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Published
July 8, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Abstract
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is soliciting public comment on draft frequently asked questions (FAQs) intended to clarify existing regulatory requirements that operators of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines and hazardous liquid pipelines alert emergency responders when a pipeline emergency occurs. The draft FAQs explain that compliance with these existing requirements is best achieved when operators promptly identify a possible rupture and alert emergency responders in the impacted community or jurisdiction through 911 services, or direct contact with emergency responders in areas where 911 services are not available.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 128 (Thursday, July 8, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 128 (Thursday, July 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36179-36180]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14582]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2020-0164]
Frequently Asked Questions on 911 Notifications Following
Possible Pipeline Ruptures
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
DOT.
ACTION: Notice; draft frequently asked questions.
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SUMMARY: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA) is soliciting public comment on draft frequently asked
questions (FAQs) intended to clarify existing regulatory requirements
that operators of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines
and hazardous liquid pipelines alert emergency responders when a
pipeline emergency occurs. The draft FAQs explain that compliance with
these existing requirements is best achieved when operators promptly
identify a possible rupture and alert emergency responders in the
impacted community or jurisdiction through 911 services, or direct
contact with emergency responders in areas where 911 services are not
available.
DATES: Comments on the draft FAQs should be submitted to Docket No.
PHMSA-2020-0164 no later than August 9, 2021.
ADDRESSES: E-Gov Web: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. This site allows the
public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice issued by any
agency. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet> Mail: Docket Management System: U.S. Department of
Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
<bullet> Hand Delivery: Department of Transportation (DOT) Docket
Management System: West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through
Friday, except federal holidays.
<bullet> Fax: 202-493-2251.
<bullet> Instructions: Identify the Docket No. PHMSA-2020-0164, at
the beginning of your comments. If you submit your comments by mail,
submit two copies. If you wish to receive confirmation that PHMSA
received your comments, include a self-addressed stamped postcard.
Internet users may submit comments at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
[[Page 36180]]
<bullet> Privacy Act: DOT may solicit comments from the public
regarding certain general notices. DOT posts these comments, without
edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/
ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at <a href="http://www.dot.gov/privacy">www.dot.gov/privacy</a>.
<bullet> 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 (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from
public disclosure. If your comments responsive 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 give 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, along with the original document, a second copy of the
original document with the CBI deleted, and (3) explain why the
information you are submitting is CBI. Submissions containing CBI
should be sent to Byron Coy at Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration, Eastern Region, PHP-100, 840 Bear Tavern Rd., Suite
300., West Trenton, New Jersey 08628. Any commentary PHMSA receives
that is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public
docket for this matter.
<bullet> Docket: For access to the docket to read background
documents or comments received, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
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: Byron Coy, Senior Technical Advisor,
Program Development Division, by telephone at 609-433-2173, or by email
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c486bdb6abaaea87abbd84a0abb0eaa3abb2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6a2813180504442905132a0e051e440d051c">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2011, NTSB issued several safety
recommendations following its investigation of the natural gas pipeline
rupture and explosion that occurred on September 9, 2010, in San Bruno,
California. Finding that the operator of the pipeline, Pacific Gas and
Electric Company (PG&E), had not notified emergency officials that the
accident involved the rupture of one of PG&E's pipelines, NTSB made the
following recommendation to PHMSA:
Require operators of natural gas transmission and distribution
pipelines and hazardous liquid pipelines to ensure that their
control room operators immediately and directly notify the 911
emergency call center(s) for the communities and jurisdictions in
which those pipelines are located when a possible rupture of any
pipeline is indicated. (P-11-9)
Under existing pipeline safety regulations, operators are required
to alert emergency responders when a pipeline emergency occurs. Section
192.615(a)(8) requires operators of natural gas pipelines to notify
appropriate fire, police, and other public officials of gas pipeline
emergencies. Section 195.402(e)(7) requires operators of hazardous
liquid pipelines to do the same. Operators are also required to
establish and maintain means of communication with appropriate fire,
police, and other public officials under Sec. Sec. 192.615(a)(2) and
195.402(c)(12).
In response to NTSB's recommendation, PHMSA first surveyed existing
FAQs in related areas to determine if, and where, 911 notification
following a possible rupture had already been addressed. As part of its
research, PHMSA examined general PHMSA and pipeline safety FAQs, as
well as FAQs related to gas transmission, gas distribution, hazardous
liquid integrity management, control room management (CRM), and
operator qualification.
PHMSA found that existing FAQs most closely related to this topic
are those addressing CRM. These FAQs (listed in the Appendix) include
the following:
<bullet> C.07 and C.09, which address emergency communications.
<bullet> F.01, G.02, G.03, H.06, and H.07, which cover emergency
operations.
PHMSA found, however, that the existing FAQs do not explicitly
address 911 notification in response to a possible pipeline rupture. In
addition, while the FAQs pertain to CRM, some pipelines operate without
a control room.
PHMSA considered adding 911 notifications to existing FAQs but
determined that could dilute the importance of emergency notification
requirements, as well as divert attention from the specific topic of
the existing FAQs. Accordingly, PHMSA believes that the safety issues
raised in NTSB's recommendation are of sufficient importance to merit
new FAQs. In addition, since control room personnel may be fully
occupied during an emergency addressing the emergency itself, an
operator's procedures could assign the duty to notify emergency
responders to others. Also, many smaller pipeline operators do not have
control rooms. As a result, PHMSA is creating guidance for all
operators to contact emergency responders without specifically stating
that it must be the pipeline controllers who make the notification, as
mentioned in the NTSB recommendation.
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 2, 2021, under authority
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2021-14582 Filed 7-7-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P
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