[Federal Register: September 4, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 172)]
[Notices]
[Page 51697-51698]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04se08-87]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2008-0211]
Information Collection Activities
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) invites
comments on its intention to revise forms PHMSA F 7100.2--Incident
Report For Gas Transmission and Gathering Systems; PHMSA F 7100.1--
Incident Report for Gas Distribution Systems; and PHMSA F 7000-1--
Accident Report for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems, and its
intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for revised information collection burdens.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on or before
November 3, 2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the docket number
PHMSA-2008-0211 by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management System, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: Docket Operations, M-30, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC
20590, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number or Regulation Identification Number (RIN) for this
notice. Internet users may access comments received by DOT at: http://
www.regulations.gov. Note that comments received will be posted without
change to: http://www.regulations.gov including any personal
information provided.
Requests for a copy of an information collection should be directed
to Roger Little by telephone at 202-366-4569, by fax at 202-366-4566,
or by mail at U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., PHP-10,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roger Little by telephone at 202-366-
4569, by fax at 202-366-4566, or by mail at U.S. Department of
Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration,
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., PHP-10, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1320.8(d), Title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations requires PHMSA to provide interested members of the public
and affected agencies an opportunity to comment on information
collection and recordkeeping requests. This notice identifies revised
information collection requests that PHMSA will be submitting to OMB
for renewal and extension. The information collected pertaining to
reportable natural gas transmission incidents provides an important
tool for identifying safety trends in the gas pipeline industry. The
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) have urged PHMSA to revise the information
collected on the natural gas pipeline operator incident and hazardous
liquid pipeline operator accident report forms. NTSB Safety
Recommendation P-05-04 recommends that PHMSA take action to change the
liquid accident reporting form (PHMSA F 7000-1) and require operators
to provide data related to controller fatigue. Additionally, section 20
of the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of
2006 (PIPES Act) requires PHMSA to ``amend accident reporting forms to
require operators of gas and hazardous liquid pipelines to provide data
related to controller fatigue.'' GAO recommended in its report, GAO-06-
946 titled ``Integrity Management Benefits Public Safety, but
Consistency of Performance Measures Should Be Improved'' that ``To
improve the consistency and usefulness of the integrity management
performance measures, we are recommending that the Secretary of
Transportation direct the Administrator for the Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration to take the following two actions:
(1) Revising the definition of a reportable incident to consider
changes in the price of natural gas; and
(2) Establish consistent categories of causes for incidents and
leaks on all gas pipeline reports.'' Recommendation number (1) is to be
addressed by a future rulemaking and recommendation number (2) is
addressed through improvements in incident forms addressed through this
information collection request (ICR).
PHMSA consulted industry and trade association representatives of
the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, the American Gas
Association, the American Petroleum Institute, and state pipeline
safety office representatives through the National Association of
Pipeline Safety Representatives, in considering revisions to the
natural gas pipeline operator incident and hazardous liquid pipeline
operator accident report forms to make the information collected more
useful to industry, government, and the public.
PHMSA has revised burden estimates, where appropriate, to reflect
revisions to the accident and incident reporting forms since the
information collections were last approved. The following information
is provided for each information collection: (1) Abstract for affected
accident and incident reporting forms; (2) title of the information
collection; (3) OMB control number; (4) affected accident or incident
form; (5) description of affected public; (6) estimate of total annual
reporting and recordkeeping burden; and (7) frequency of collection.
PHMSA will request a three-year term of approval for each information
collection activity and,
[[Page 51698]]
when approved by OMB, publish notice of the approval in the Federal
Register.
PHMSA requests comments on the following information collections:
Abstract: To ensure adequate public protection from exposure to
potential natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline failures, PHMSA
collects information on reportable natural gas pipeline incidents and
hazardous liquid pipeline accidents. Additional information is also
obtained concerning the characteristics of an operator's pipeline
system. This information is needed for normalizing the incident
information in order to provide for adequate safety trending. The
requirements for reporting natural gas incidents are found in 49 CFR
Part 191 and for reporting hazardous liquid pipeline accidents are
found in 49 CFR Part 195. The regulations require submission of these
reports within 30 days of the incident or accident occurrence. The
information is used to assist Federal and state pipeline safety
programs for accident trending and by industry, trade associations and
other interested stakeholders, and to provide a background for accident
investigations.
Title: Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline:
Recordkeeping and Accident Reporting.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0047.
Form: Accident Report--Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems (Form No.
PHMSA-7000-1).
Affected Public: Hazardous liquid pipeline operators.
Recordkeeping:
Number of Respondents: 200.
Total Annual Responses: 130 long form, 200 short form.
Long form is for spills of five or more barrels; short form is for
spills of 5 gallons to less than 5 barrels.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 1332.
Frequency of collection:
Short form: 200 reports/200 operators per year = 1 short form per
operator annually;
130 reports/200 operators per year = .65 long forms per operator
annually.
Title: Incident and Annual Reports for Gas Pipeline Operators.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0522.
Form: Incident Report--Gas Distribution System (Form PHMSA F
7100.1).
Affected Public: Natural gas distribution pipeline operators.
Recordkeeping:
Number of Respondents: 1200.
Total Annual Responses: 155.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 1210.
Frequency of collection: 155 incidents per year /1200 operators =
0.14.
Title: Incident and Annual Reports for Gas Pipeline Operators.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0522.
Form: Incident Report--Gas Transmission and Gathering Systems (Form
PHMSA F 7100.2).
Affected Public: Natural gas transmission pipeline operators.
Recordkeeping:
Number of Respondents: 900.
Total Annual Responses: 153.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,102.
Frequency of collection: 153 incidents per year/900 operators =
0.17.
Comments are invited on: (a) The need for the proposed collection
of information for the proper performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information including the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity
of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including
the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques.
Issued in Washington, DC on August 28, 2008.
Joy O. Kadnar,
Acting Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. E8-20440 Filed 9-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P