RSPA has extended the period for public comment from September 24, 2002, to November 22, 2002, on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on July 26, 2002, requiring an annual report for hazardous liquid pipeline operators (proposed form RSPA F7000-1.1). (See our August, 2002 newsletter here.)
On July 26, 2002, the Research and Special Programs Administration’s Office of Pipeline Safety (RSPA/OPS) issued a NPRM (67 FR 48844) to require hazardous liquid pipeline operators to submit an annual report (proposed form RSPA F7000-1.1). The report form asks for information that RSPA/OPS does not currently collect, such as: breakout tank location and capacity; hazardous liquid pipeline mileage by State, diameter and decade installed. The report will be due March 15 of each year for the previous calendar year, aligning with the annual reporting schedule for natural gas pipeline operators. RSPA/OPS will use information from the report to more effectively compile national statistics on system inventory; analyze accidents; identify safety problems and potential solutions; and target inspections. The proposed form asks for information similar to information RSPA/OPS currently collects for natural gas pipelines. The proposed information collection is part of RSPA’s/OPS’s overall strategy for improving the quality of pipeline statistics and addresses a longstanding data gap in hazardous liquid pipeline inventory information.
On August 23, 2002, the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Association of Oil Pipelines (AOPL) submitted a request on behalf of their pipeline members for a 60 day extension of the comment period. API and AOPL indicated that additional time would enable operators to better understand the type of data to be collected on the proposed hazardous liquid pipeline annual report and to determine whether operators are now collecting information that would meet the needs of OPS. Because most of the API and AOPL membership is affected by this rulemaking, and because an annual report has never been required of hazardous liquid pipeline operators, RSPA/OPS is extending the deadline for comments on this NPRM. Pursuant to 49 CFR 190.319, good cause has been shown by the petitioners for extension of the comment period, namely, API and AOPL. Extension of the comment period is consistent with the public interest and is granted to all persons.