OMB Approves PHMSA Breakout Tank Inspection NPRM

Yesterday, the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it had received a notice of proposed rulemaking from the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on “Pipeline Safety: Breakout Tank Inspection Rule”.  

This rulemaking was not listed in the Spring 2025 Unified Agenda, so it is difficult to determine what the scope of this proposed rulemaking will be. There was, however, a question on breakout tank inspections in an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking that PHMSA published in May, 2025. That question read: 

“How should part 195 regulations address the assessment of and remediation of anomalies on in-service breakout tanks? Would incorporating the risk-based inspection interval provided for in consensus industry standards ( e.g., the fifth edition of API Std 653) within PHMSA regulations be appropriate for some or all breakout tanks? Please identify any specific regulatory amendments that merit consideration, as well as the technical, safety, and economic reasons supporting those recommended amendments.”