PHMSA Pipeline Safety ICR Revisions

Today the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration published a 60-day information collection request (ICR) revision notice in the Federal Register (77 FR 22387-22389) for a number of pipeline reporting ICRs. The notice explains a number of revisions that PHMSA is planning on making on these forms.

The reporting forms include:

• Gas transmission incident report (PHMSA F 7100.2; OMB control number 2137-0522)

• Hazardous liquid accident report (PHMSA F 7100-1; OMB control number 2137-0047)

• Gas transmission annual report (PHMSA F 7100.2-1; OMB control number 2137-0522)

Incident and Accident Reports

These two revised forms will ask for additional pipeline physical details for pipeline incidents involving girth welds. Minor changes will also be made to the form to reflect the format of the on-line reporting system. PHMSA does not expect that these revisions will change the annual burden for either of these reports.

Annual Reports

PHMSA is planning on making revisions to annual report form based upon some of the NTSB recommendations from the San Bruno, CA pipeline explosion and requirements from the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011. These include:

• Providing a mechanism for identifying segments of pipelines that the owner is unable to verify the maximum allowable operating pressure (MOAP);

• Reporting the methodology used to determine the MOAP;

• Reporting the miles of pipeline that have not been subjected to hydrostatic pressure testing to 125% of MOAP; and

• Reporting the number of miles of pipeline which cannot be checked by the passage of an instrumented internal inspection device.

Public Comments

In this ICR revision notice PHMSA is requesting comments about the specific changes reported in the notice. The revision request will not change the current expiration of the ICRs so general comments on the complete ICRs should be reserved for when they are renewed sometime next year. Public comments may be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal (www.regulations.gov; Docket # PHMSA-2012-0024). Such comments should be submitted by June 12, 2012.