G/TBT/N/USA/1576  
10 February 2020  
(20-1044) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AME RICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT) [1604]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to ha ndle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Pipelines, 
valve installation; Quality (ICS 03.120), Accident and disaster control (ICS 13.200), 
Pipeline components and pipelines (ICS 23.040), Valves (ICS 23.060), Pressure regulators 
(ICS:23.060.40); Mobile services (ICS 33.070), Components and accesso ries for 
telecommunications equipment (ICS 33.120)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Pipeline Safety: 
Valve Installation and Minimum Rupture Detection Standards (28 page(s), in English)  
6. Description of content:  Notice of proposed rulemaking - PHMSA is proposing to revise 
the Pipeline Safety Regulations applicable to newly constructed and entirely replaced 
onshore natural gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines to mitigate ruptures. 
Additionally, PHMSA is revisin g the regulations regarding rupture detection to shorten 
pipeline segment isolation times. These proposals address congressional mandates, 
incorporate recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, and are 
necessary to reduce the consequenc es of large -volume, uncontrolled releases of natural 
gas and hazardous liquid pipeline ruptures.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Protection of human health or safety; Protection of the environment; Qua lity 
requirements  
8. Relevant documents:   
•  85 Federal Register (FR) 7162, 6 February 2020; Title 49 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) Parts 192 and 195:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-02-06/html/2020 -01459.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-02-06/pdf/2020 -01459.pdf  
•  Supporti ng documents are available from Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docketBrowser?rpp=25&so=DESC&sb=commentDue
Date&po=0&dct=SR%2BO&D=PHMSA -2013-0255 G/TBT/N/USA/1576  
 
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  9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  6 April 2020  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/TBT/USA/20_1096_00_e.pdf