The Railroad Commission of Texas has withdrawn its proposal to amend 16 TAC §3.95, relating to Underground Storage of Liquid or Liquefied Hydrocarbons in Salt Formations, and 16 TAC §3.97, relating to Underground Storage of Gas in Salt Formations, published in the February 24, 2006, issue of the Texas Register (31 TexReg 1138) and has proposed revised new amendments to §3.95 and §3.97. The original proposal received numerous comments from operators and industry associations, many of which were received favorably by the Railroad Commission. Consistent with the Commission’s wish to further the goals of safety and the prevention and control of pollution, the Commission has withdrawn the original amendments, and has proposed these new amendments in order to reduce the possibility of explosion and fire at such facilities and enhance the safety of such facilities in light of the gas release and fire at the Moss Bluff Hub Partners, LP natural gas storage facility and incidents at several liquid hydrocarbon storage facilities.
Comments on the proposal may be submitted to Rules Coordinator, Office of General Counsel, Railroad Commission of Texas, P. O. Box 12967, Austin, Texas 78711-2967; online at www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/commentform.html; or by electronic mail to rulescoordinator@rrc.state.tx.us. The Commission specifically solicits comments regarding the estimated anticipated costs of the proposed amendments. The Commission will accept comments for 30 days after publication in the Texas Register. Comments should refer to Oil & Gas Docket No. 20-0245837. The Commission encourages all interested persons to submit comments no later than the deadline. The Commission cannot guarantee that comments submitted after the deadline will be considered. For further information, call Leslie Savage at (512) 463-7308. The status of Commission rulemakings in progress is available at www.rrc.state.tx.us/rules/proposed.html