25284 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 84 / Monday, May 1, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

Revision 1, dated October 28, 1999; except as

provided by paragraph (d) of this AD.

(d) If any cracking is detected during the

inspections required by paragraph (a)(2) or

(b)(2) of this AD, or where the alert service

bulletin specifies that the manufacturer may

be contacted for disposition of certain repair

conditions, prior to further flight, repair in

accordance with a method approved by the

Manager, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office

(ACO), FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate;

or in accordance with data meeting the type

certification basis of the airplane approved

by a Boeing Company Designated

Engineering Representative (DER) who has

been authorized by the Manager, Seattle

ACO, to make such findings. For a repair

method to be approved by the Manager,

Seattle ACO, or a Boeing DER, as required by

this paragraph, the approval letter must

specifically reference this AD.

Alternative Methods of Compliance

(e) An alternative method of compliance or

adjustment of the compliance time that

provides an acceptable level of safety may be

used if approved by the Manager, Seattle

ACO. Operators shall submit their requests

through an appropriate FAA Principal

Maintenance Inspector, who may add

comments and then send it to the Manager,

Seattle ACO.

Note 5: Information concerning the

existence of approved alternative methods of

compliance with this AD, if any, may be

obtained from the Seattle ACO.

Special Flight Permits

(f) Special flight permits may be issued in

accordance with sections 21.197 and 21.199

of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR

21.197 and 21.199) to operate the airplane to

a location where the requirements of this AD

can be accomplished.

Incorporation by Reference

(g) Except as provided by paragraph (d) of

this AD, the actions shall be done in

accordance with Boeing Alert Service

Bulletin 747–53A2427, dated December 17,

1998, or Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 747–

53A2427, Revision 1, dated October 28, 1999.

This incorporation by reference was

approved by the Director of the Federal

Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a)

and 1 CFR part 51. Copies may be obtained

from Boeing Commercial Airplane Group,

P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, Washington 98124–

2207. Copies may be inspected at the FAA,

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind

Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington; or at the

Office of the Federal Register, 800 North

Capitol Street, NW., suite 700, Washington,

DC.

Effective Date

(h) This amendment becomes effective on

June 5, 2000.

Issued in Renton, Washington, on April 19,

2000.

Donald L. Riggin,

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 00–10285 Filed 4–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

30 CFR Part 250

Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations in

the Outer Continental Shelf—Update of

Revised/Reaffirmed Documents

Incorporated by Reference

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service

(MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Technical amendment.

SUMMARY: This document makes

technical amendments to regulations

that were published in a final rule on

December 28, 1999 (64 FR 72756), and

which listed all documents incorporated

by reference in regulations governing oil

and gas and sulfur operations in the

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This

amendment incorporates Supplement 2

to the 21st Edition of American

Petroleum Institute (API) Specification

6D (SPEC 6D). The rulemaking of

December 28, 1999, incorporated API

SPEC 6D, 21st Edition, but not the

supplement.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 31, 2000.

The incorporation by reference of

publications listed in the regulation is

approved by the Director of the Federal

Register as of May 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl

W. Anderson at (703) 787–1608.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Early in 1998, API requested that

MMS incorporate by reference

Supplements 1 and 2 (dated December

1996 and December 1997, respectively)

to API SPEC 6D. (Supplement 2 actually

fully incorporates and expands upon

Supplement 1.) For metal-to-metal

seated valves, the Supplements changed

from a ‘‘no visible leakage’’ standard to

‘‘allowable internal leakage rates’’

according to valve size. This raised two

concerns for MMS with regard to its

regulatory program. First, once an

attempt has been made to purge a

pipeline of all contents and close its

valves, how can an operator be sure that

the pipeline is properly isolated and

free of combustibles or pressure during

repairs? (Cutting into an existing

pipeline in preparation to repair it is

considered among the most hazardous

operations conducted offshore.) Second,

how can MMS be sure that out-ofservice pipelines isolated by block

valves are really shut down?

MMS issued Notice to Lessees and

Operators on the Outer Continental

Shelf (NTL) No. 98–16N in October

1998 rejecting Supplements 1 and 2 as

documents incorporated by reference.

MMS needed more time to discuss the

issues with API and to consider the

ramifications of the ‘‘allowable internal

leakage’’ standard for the OCS

regulatory program. MMS reasoned:

It may well be that the ‘‘no visible leakage’’

standard contained in the 21st and previous

editions of API SPEC 6D is an unreasonably

high standard for metal-to-metal seats. Metalto-metal seats are non-deforming compared

to non-metal-to-metal seats; therefore, it may

be reasonable to expect that some leakage

would occur between facing metal surfaces.

Nevertheless, there appears to be no data or

agreed-upon formula for predicting an

acceptable leakage rate.

The MMS made a concerted attempt

with API to collect data on this question

and held further discussions with

industry. In February 1999, MMS

proposed a research project on leakage

rates to API and asked them to survey

their members on their perceptions of

the ‘‘allowable leakage rates’’ and

willingness to participate in the

research project. Only 25 of 250

potential respondents replied. Their

answers indicated that few valve

suppliers believe that the ‘‘no visible

leakage’’ standard is realistic, other than

for special-purpose, non-off-the-shelf

(i.e., expensive) valves. Support for new

research was very limited.

Industry representatives maintained

that there is little formal data on leakage

rates. They explained, however, that

most correspondence on this subject

focuses on leakage rates contained in

International Standards Organization

Standard 5208, Rate D. These rates are

incorporated into Supplements 1 and 2.

The API SPEC 6D workgroup generally

agrees that these leakage rates are

reasonable and in line with their

experience.

Further discussions with the API

SPEC 6D workgroup revealed that

participants almost unanimously agree

that all pipeline valves leak after they

have been in service for a short time due

to operational residues and abrasion.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 84 / Monday, May 1, 2000 / Rules and Regulations 25285

This indicates that initial leakage rates

for new valves are irrelevant by the time

a pipeline is in need of repair or placed

out-of-service. Therefore, measures in

addition to ‘‘closed valves’’ are needed

to protect workers and to ensure

‘‘isolated pipelines’’ during pipeline

repairs.

The MMS’s own pipeline workgroup

conferred on these issues. They decided

that rejecting the new allowable internal

leakage rates would be unrealistic in

light of what MMS had learned from its

discussions with industry. Moreover,

the maintenance of an unrealistic ‘‘no

visible leakage’’ standard would not

address the real regulatory dilemma that

regardless of initial internal leakage

rates, eventually all pipeline valves will

leak internally. The MMS workgroup

reasoned that since internal leakage

occurs in pipeline valves regardless of

initial leakage rates, MMS must address

this concern in its inspection and

maintenance procedures. Therefore, the

MMS workgroup recommended

canceling NTL 98–16N and adopting

Supplement 2 as a document

incorporated by reference. They also

recommended two additions to Subpart

J that would address the problems posed

by leaking pipeline valves. The first

would add a requirement for operators

to submit a work plan detailing the

measures they intend to take and

procedures they intend to follow to

ensure the safety of their employees

during any pipeline repair. The second

would add a requirement for placing a

blind flange on lateral lines taken outof-service. The MMS intends to propose

both of these requirements in a separate

rulemaking.

MMS has reviewed Supplements 1

and 2 to the 21st Edition of API SPEC

6D in light of the above considerations

and determined that they will not

impose undue cost on the offshore oil

and gas industry. Moreover, further

discussions with API confirm that

Supplement 2 completely replaces

Supplement 1. (Thus, parties that order

copies of the 21st Edition of API SPEC

6D from API receive only Supplement 2

in addition to the primary document.)

Therefore, we are incorporating

Supplement 2 according to the authority

in 30 CFR 250.198(a)(2).

Upon the effective date of this

technical amendment, NTL No. 98–16N

is cancelled.

List of Subjects in 30 CFR Part 250

Continental shelf, Environmental

impact statements, Environmental

protection, Government contracts,

Incorporation by reference,

Investigations, Mineral royalties, Oil

and gas development and production,

Oil and gas exploration, Oil and gas

reserves, Penalties, Pipelines, Public

lands—mineral resources, Public

lands—rights-of-way, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements, Sulphur

development and production, Sulphur

exploration, Surety bonds.

Accordingly, 30 CFR part 250 is

amended by making the following

technical amendments:

PART 250—OIL AND GAS AND

SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE

OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF

1. The authority citation for part 250

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.

2. In § 250.198, in the table in

paragraph (e), revise the entry for API

SPEC 6D to read as set forth below.

§ 250.198 Documents incorporated by

reference.

* * * * *

(e) * * *

Title of documents Incorporated by reference at

*******

API Spec 6D, Specification for Pipeline Valves (Gate, Plug, Ball, and

Check Valves), Twenty-first Edition, March 31, 1994, including Supplement 2, December 1, 1997, API Stock No. G03200.

§ 250.1002(b)(1).

*******

Dated: April 21, 2000.

Joseph R. Levine,

Acting Chief, Engineering and Operations

Division.

[FR Doc. 00–10592 Filed 4–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration

49 CFR Part 391

RIN 2126–AA45

Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Regulations; Technical Amendments

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration (FMCSA).

ACTION: Final rule; technical

amendment.

SUMMARY: This document makes

technical amendments to the Federal

Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

(FMCSRs) to update the rules

concerning qualifications of drivers who

have loss or impairment of limbs by

changing the designated official who

authorizes and signs the skill

performance evaluation (SPE) certificate

for such drivers, and to remove the

reference to ‘‘waiver.’’ These

amendments are necessitated by an

agency organizational restructuring and

by changes in the statute. The effect of

these amendments is to update the

regulations regarding the standards for

evaluating requests for SPE certificates.

DATES: The effective date of this rule is

May 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

information about the amendments

contained in this rule, Ms. Teresa

Doggett, Office of Bus and Truck

Standards and Operations, HMCS–20,

(202) 366–2990; for information about

legal issues related to this rule, Ms.

Judith Rutledge, Office of the Chief

Counsel, (202) 366–1353, FMCSA, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590–0001. Office hours are from 7:45

a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday through

Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Access

An electronic copy of this document

may be downloaded using a modem and

suitable communications software from

the Government Printing Office’s

Electronic Bulletin Board Service at

(202) 512–1661. Internet users may