Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 77 /Wednesday, April 22, 1998 / Notices 19999

submitting a question(s) does not have

to be present for the question(s) to be

answered. A consolidated list of the

questions submitted by May 29, 1998,

and the issues to be discussed, will be

posted on NHTSA’s web site

(www.nhtsa.dot.gov) by June 11, 1998,

and will be available at the meeting. The

next NHTSA vehicle regulatory program

meeting will take place on Thursday,

September 17, 1998 at the Tysons

Westpark Hotel, 8401 Westpark Drive,

McLean, VA.

ADDRESSES: Questions for the June 16,

NHTSA Technical Industry Meeting,

relating to the agency’s vehicle

regulatory program, should be

submitted to Delia Lopez, NPS-01,

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration, Room 5401, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590, Fax Number 202–366–4329, email dlopez@nhtsa.dot.gov. The meeting

will be held at the Clarion Inn Hotel,

9191 Wickham Road, in Romulus, MI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Delia Lopez, (202) 366–1810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NHTSA

holds a regular, quarterly meeting to

answer questions from the public and

the regulated industries regarding the

agency’s vehicle regulatory program.

Questions on aspects of the agency’s

research and development activities that

related directly to ongoing regulatory

actions should be submitted, as in the

past, to the agency’s Safety Performance

Standards Office. The purpose of this

meeting is to focus on those phases of

NHTSA activities which are technical,

interpretative or procedural in nature.

Transcripts of these meetings will be

available for public inspection in the

DOT Docket in Washington, DC, within

four weeks after the meeting. Copies of

the transcript will then be available at

ten cents a page, (length has varied from

100 to 150 pages) upon request to DOT

Docket, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. The

DOT Docket is open to the public from

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Questions to be

answered at the quarterly meeting

should be organized by categories to

help us process the questions into an

agenda form more efficiently. Sample

format:

I. RULEMAKING.

A. Crash avoidance

B. Crashworthiness

C. Other Rulemakings

II. CONSUMER INFORMATION

III. MISCELLANEOUS

NHTSA will provide auxiliary aids to

participants as necessary. Any person

desiring assistance of ‘‘auxiliary aids’’

(e.g., sign-language interpreter,

telecommunications devices for deaf

persons (TDDs), readers, taped texts,

brailled materials, or large print

materials and/or a magnifying device),

please contact Delia Lopez on (202)

366–1810, by COB June 11, 1998.

Issued: April 17, 1998.

L. Robert Shelton,

Associate Administrator for Safety

Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 98–10675 Filed 4–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

[Docket No. RSPA–98–3638; Notice 1]

Pipeline Safety: Liquefied Natural Gas

Facilities Petition for Waiver; Exxon

Company, USA

Exxon Corporation has petitioned the

Research and Special Programs

Administration (RSPA) for a waiver

from compliance with certain

provisions of 49 CFR part 193 for its

proposed Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

storage tanks at its existing LaBarge,

Wyoming, gas processing operation. The

existing operation includes two parallel

Nitrogen Rejection Units and a small

liquefied natural gas (LNG) truck

loading facility. Exxon is proposing to

install two used 55,000 gallon LNG

storage tanks (vessel nos. 5477 and

5516). According to Exxon, these tanks

were in LNG service for 19 years

without problems. The tanks were

designed, built, tested, and registered in

accordance with the requirements of the

American Society of Mechanical

Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure

Vessel Code, Section VIII, Division 1.

Exxon states that as a part of the post

fabrication procedures of the ASME

Code, the longitudinal and

circumferential butt welds of vessel

number 5477 were spot checked by

radiographic methods. The longitudinal

and circumferential butt welds of vessel

number 5516 were 100 percent

radiographically tested at the time of

manufacture. The ASME Code does not

apply to any piping beyond the first

weld.

Exxon requests a waiver from

compliance with certain sections of Part

193 and proposes to ensure equivalent

safety through compliance with the

National Fire Protection Association

(NAPA) Standard 59A. The specific

sections of Part 193 for which Exxon

seeks a waiver are:

(1) § 193.2321 (a)—Nondestructive

tests. This section requires that 100

percent of circumferential butt welded

pipe joints in cryogenic piping and 30

percent of circumferential butt welded

pipe joints in the non-cryogenic piping

be nondestructively tested.

Exxon is requesting a waiver for

vessels 5477 and 5516 of the

requirements of § 193.2321 (a)—

Nondestructive tests, based on the

following:

• Calculated value of the pressure

induced hoop stresses for the inner

vessel nozzles and interconnecting

piping are less than the 20 percent of

the specified minimum yield stress

(SMYS) for the piping material which is

recognized as acceptable under NAPA

59A. To support this allegation Exxon

has submitted stress calculations.

• NAPA 59A—Standard of the

Production, Storage and Handling of

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), section 6–

6—Inspection and Testing of Pipe,

Paragraph 6–6.3.2, requires all

circumferential butt welds to be

nondestructively tested, except that

liquid drain and vapor vent piping with

an operating pressure that produces a

hoop stress of less than 20 percent of

SMYS need not be nondestructively

tested, provided it has been inspected

visually in accordance with the ASME

standard B31.3—Chemical Plant and

Petroleum Refinery, section 344.2.

RSPA believes that safety will not be

compromised by waiving the

requirements of § 193.2321(a) for noncryogenic piping with operating

pressures that produce hoop stresses of

less than 20 percent SMYS, if that

piping complies with standard NAPA

59A, Section 6–6.3.2. Therefore, RSPA

is proposing to grant the waiver from

§ 193.2321(a).

(2) § 193.2321 (e)—Nondestructive

tests. This section requires 100 percent

nondestructive tests of both longitudinal

and circumferential butt welds in metal

shells of storage tanks that are subject to

cryogenic temperatures and are under

pressure to be radiographically tested.

Exxon requests a waiver of the

requirements of § 193.2321 (e)—

Nondestructive tests, for vessel number

5477 based on the following reasons:

• The tank was designed,

manufactured, tested and registered to

the requirements of the ASME Boiler

and Pressure Vessel Code. Section VIII

Division 1 of the ASME Code is an

accepted standard to which cryogenic

pressure vessels are built throughout the

world.

• Safety in this case is not

compromised because the storage tank

at the Exxon facility is small, less than

70,000 gallons, shop fabricated and built

to the ASME Code.

• Public safety is not the issue

because the facility is very remote.
20000 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 77 /Wednesday, April 22, 1998 / Notices

• The use of a weld joint efficiency

factor of 85 percent and spot

radiographic testing result in an inner

vessel of thicker material than one built

with a weld joint efficiency factor of 100

percent and 100 percent radiograph

testing, substantially reducing the stress

in the welds.

• The tank meets NAPA 59A

requirements under Section 4–2, Metal

Containers, paragraph 4–2.2.2., which

states that the inner tank must be

welded construction in accordance with

the ASME Code, Section VIII, and must

be ASME-stamped and registered with

the National Board of Boiler and

Pressure Vessels Inspectors (NBBI) or

other agency that registers pressure

vessels.

RSPA agrees that safety will not be

compromised by waiving the

requirements of § 193.2321(e) for

smaller pressure vessels (less than

70,000 gallons) that are designed and

built to the ASME Code, Section VIII

(greater than 15 psig). Tanks built to this

code are shop-fabricated under strict

quality control and are inspected and

stamped by Authorized Inspectors of the

NBBI. Storage tanks at the Exxon

LaBarge gas processing facility are built

to ASME Code, Section VIII, and have

a capacity of 55,000 gallons (relatively

small). Therefore, RSPA is proposing to

grant the waiver from § 193.2321(e).

(3) § 193.2329(a)—Construction

Records. This section requires that an

operator shall retain records of

specifications, procedures and drawings

consistent with this part, and section

193.2329(b) requires that an operator

must retain records of results of tests,

inspections and quality assurance

programs required by this subpart.

Exxon states that the ASME-stamped

nameplates and the ASME U–1 form

constitute adequate records for vessel

construction. However, Exxon requests

a waiver of the requirements of Section

193.2329 because the vessels were built

to the ASME Code as referenced in

NAPA 59A. The operator further agrees

to comply with the recordkeeping

requirements in accordance with

Sections 193.2329 (a) and (b).

RSPA agrees and proposes to grant a

waiver from sections 193.2329 (a) and

(b) for selected parts of the Exxon

facility.

Except for the sections for which

RSPA is proposing to grant a waiver,

this LNG facility must meet all the

requirements of Part 193. RSPA believes

that the granting a waiver would not be

inconsistent with pipeline safety, as

long as Exxon follows the alternative

provisions in the NAPA 59A.

Interested parties are invited to

comment on the proposed waiver by

submitting in duplicate such data,

views, or arguments as they may desire.

Comments should identify the Docket

and Notice number (Docket no. RSPA–

98–3638; Notice 1), and should be

addressed to the Docket Facility, U.S.

Department of Transportation, Plaza

401, 400 Seventh Street SW.,

Washington, DC 20590–0001.

Alternatively, comments may be

submitted via e-mail to

‘‘ops.comments@rspa.dot.gov’’.

All comments received before May 22,

1998 will be considered before final

action is taken. Late filed comments will

be considered so far as practicable. No

public hearing is contemplated, but one

may be held at a time and place set in

a notice in the Federal Register if

requested by an interested person

desiring to comment at a public hearing

and raising a genuine issue. All

comments and other docketed material

will be available for inspection and

copying in room Plaza 401 between the

hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday

through Friday, except federal holidays.

Authority: 49 App. U.S.C. 2002(h) and

2015; and 49 CFR 1.53.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on April 16,

1998.

Richard B. Felder,

Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.

[FR Doc. 98–10673 Filed 4–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33584]

Union Pacific Railroad Company—

Trackage Rights Exemption—The

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

Railway Company

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

Railway Company (BNSF) has agreed to

grant overhead trackage rights to Union

Pacific Railroad Company (UP) from

Beaumont, TX, at or near milepost 0.07

to Silsbee, TX, at or near milepost

152.16, continuing through Cleveland,

TX, at or near milepost 94.9 and Conroe,

TX, at or near milepost 72.1, to

Navasota, TX, at or near milepost 28.14,

a distance of 144.32 miles. Further,

BNSF has agreed that UP may enter or

exit the trackage rights line at Cleveland

and at Conroe.

The transaction is expected to be

consummated on or shortly after April

13, 1998, the effective date of the

exemption.

As a condition to this exemption, any

employees affected by the trackage

rights will be protected by the

conditions imposed in Norfolk and

Western Ry. Co.—Trackage Rights—BN,

354 I.C.C. 605 (1978), as modified in

Mendocino Coast Ry., Inc.—Lease and

Operate, 360 I.C.C. 653 (1980).

This notice is filed under 49 CFR

1180.2(d)(7). If the notice contains false

or misleading information, the

exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to

revoke the exemption under 49 U.S.C.

10502(d) may be filed at any time. The

filing of a petition to revoke will not

automatically stay the transaction.

An original and 10 copies of all

pleadings, referring to STB Finance

Docket No. 33584, must be filed with

the Surface Transportation Board, Office

of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925

K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on Joseph D.

Anthofer, General Attorney, 1416 Dodge

Street, #830, Omaha, NE 68179.

Decided: April 13, 1998.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–10527 Filed 4–21–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–531X]

Pioneer Valley Railroad Company,

Inc.—Abandonment Exemption—In

Hampden County, MA

On April 2, 1998, Pioneer Valley

Railroad Company, Inc., filed with the

Surface Transportation Board (Board) a

petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502 for

exemption from the provisions of 49

U.S.C. 10903 to abandon a line of

railroad known as the Westfield Branch

extending from milepost 0.0 to the end

of the line at milepost 1.9, a total

distance of 1.9 miles, in Westfield,

Hampden County, MA. The line

traverses U.S. Postal Service ZIP Code

01085. There are no stations on the line.

The line does not contain federally

granted rights-of-way. Any

documentation in the railroad’s

possession will be made available

promptly to those requesting it.

The interest of railroad employees

will be protected by the conditions

specified in Oregon Short Line R. Co.—

Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91

(1979).

By issuance of this notice, the Board

is instituting an exemption proceeding

pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final

decision will be issued by July 21, 1998.