50438 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 165 / Friday, August 26, 2005 / Notices 

Issued in Hawthorne, California on July 6, 

2005. 

George Aiken, 

Acting Manager, Airports Division, AWP–600, 

Western-Pacific Region.

[FR Doc. 05–16969 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration 

[FTA Docket No. FTA–2005–22207] 

Agency Information Collection Activity 

Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection Request (ICR) abstracted 

below has been forwarded to the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) for 

approval. The Federal Register Notice 

with a 60-day comment period soliciting 

comments was published on June 8, 

2005.

DATES: Comments must be submitted 

before September 26, 2005. A comment 

to OMB is most effective if OMB 

receives it within 30 days of 

publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sylvia L. Marion, Office of 

Administration, Office of Management 

Planning, (202) 366–6680.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: 49 U.S.C. Section 3037 Job 

Access and Reverse Commute Programs 

(OMB Number: 2132–New). 

Abstract: 49 U.S.C. Section 3037 Job 

Access and Reverse Commute Program 

authorizes the Secretary of 

Transportation to make grants to State 

and local governments and public 

transportation authorities to transport 

welfare recipients and other low-income 

individuals to and from jobs and 

activities related to employment. Grant 

recipients are required to make 

information available to the public and 

to publish a program of projects for 

affected citizens to comment on the 

proposed program and performance of 

the grant recipients at public hearings. 

Notices of hearings must include a brief 

description of the proposed project and 

be published in a newspaper circulated 

in the affected area. FTA uses the 

information to determine eligibility for 

funding and to monitor the grantees’

progress in implementing and 

completing project activities. FTA also 

collects grantee performance 

information annually. This collection 

activity is performed by a Web-based 

contractor, who electronically collects 

the grantee information and develops 

JARC information tables as needed. The 

information submitted ensures FTA’s 

compliance with applicable Federal 

laws and OMB Circular A–102. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden:

78,609 hours.

ADDRESSES: All written comments must 

refer to the docket number that appears 

at the top of this document and be 

submitted to the Office of Information 

and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 

Management and Budget, 725—17th 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, 

Attention: FTA Desk Officer. 

Comments Are Invited on: Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; the accuracy of 

the Department’s estimate of the burden 

of the proposed information collection; 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology.

Issued: August 22, 2005. 

Ann M. Linnertz, 

Deputy Associate Administrator for 

Administration.

[FR Doc. 05–16972 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

Safety Administration 

[Docket No. PHMSA–04–19854] 

Pipeline Safety: Public Meeting on 

Integrity Management of Gas 

Distribution Pipelines

AGENCY: Office of Pipeline Safety, 

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration 

(PHMSA) is sponsoring a public 

meeting on Enhancing Integrity 

Management of Gas Distribution 

Pipelines. The meeting will be held on 

September 21, 2005, in Dallas, Texas. At 

the meeting, PHMSA will discuss 

actions that have been underway this 

year to review the need for integrity 

management requirements for gas 

distribution pipelines. The meeting also 

will provide discussion on the use of 

Excess Flow Valves in gas distribution 

safety lines as a technique for mitigating 

the consequences of service line 

incidents, and will provide the public 

an opportunity to give comments.

DATES: The public meeting will be held 

on Wednesday, September 21, 2005, 

from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting is open to all. 

There is no cost to attend. The meeting 

will be held at the Westin Park Central 

Hotel, 12720 Merit Drive, Dallas, TX 

75251. The phone number for 

reservations is 1–972–851–2037 or 1–

800–Westin1.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mike Israni, Office of Pipeline Safety, at 

202–366–4571; mike.israni@dot.gov,

regarding subject matter of this notice. 

For information regarding meeting 

logistics please contact Veronica 

Garrison at 202–366–4996, 

veronica.garrison@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

meeting follows a previous public 

meeting on this topic, held in 

Washington, DC, on December 16, 2004. 

This meeting will include briefings on 

the activities of a Distribution Integrity 

Management Phase 1 effort that is 

ongoing through 2005. This program 

involves a review of operating 

experience, current requirements, and 

practices. The Distribution Integrity 

Management Program (DIMP) team will 

develop information that PHMSA can 

consider in any subsequent rulemaking 

effort. The Phase 1 program involves 

work/study groups comprised of 

representatives of state pipeline safety 

regulators, the gas distribution industry, 

the public, and PHMSA. The 

preliminary agenda for this meeting 

includes briefings on the following 

topics: 

• The need for improvement; 

• Distinctions among gas distribution 

pipeline systems; 

• Comments from the team of 

executives (industry, state regulators, 

and public) providing oversight of the 

Phase 1 program; 

• The plan and process of the Phase 

1 program; (including use of EFV as a 

technique for mitigating the 

consequences of service line incidents.) 

• Major issues and approaches, 

including preliminary Phase 1 

conclusions; 

• Issues and cautions that must be 

considered in developing distribution 

integrity management requirements; and 

• The views of industry and other 

stakeholders. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 165 / Friday, August 26, 2005 / Notices 50439

Need for Improvement 

Pipeline accidents with significant 

consequences gathered attention in 

recent years and prompted pipeline 

safety program changes. Integrity 

management rules were promulgated for 

hazardous liquid pipelines (65 FR 

75378; December 1, 2000) and for gas 

transmission pipelines (68 FR 69778; 

December 15, 2003). In testimony before 

the Congress on July 20, 2004, the Office 

of the Inspector General (OIG) reported 

that the number of incidents reported on 

distribution systems has consistently 

exceeded that on transmission systems. 

Also, the number of fatalities and 

injuries reported on distribution 

systems has consistently been much 

higher than for transmission systems. 

The prevalence of incidents, 

particularly those with consequences to 

people, underscores the need for 

regulators and stakeholders to pay 

additional attention to distribution 

pipeline integrity management. PHMSA 

agrees that safety issues posed by gas 

distribution pipelines need to be 

addressed through appropriate integrity 

management initiatives.

Differences in Gas Distribution Pipeline 

Systems 

A plan for assuring integrity of gas 

distribution pipelines must consider the 

differences between transmission 

pipeline systems and distribution 

pipeline systems. Ensuring the integrity 

of distribution pipeline systems is 

different from doing so for transmission 

pipelines because: 

• Most pipe in distribution pipeline 

systems is small diameter and operates 

at low pressure. Transmission pipelines 

are generally large diameter and high 

pressure. 

• Distribution pipeline systems are a 

more complex network, with frequent 

branching and interconnections. 

Transmission pipelines generally run 

for many miles without such 

connections. 

• Distribution pipeline systems 

include a range of materials, including 

a significant amount of plastic pipe. 

Transmission pipelines are generally 

constructed of steel. 

• Distribution pipelines are usually 

difficult to take out of service for 

inspection without interrupting gas 

service to customers. Transmission 

pipelines often include loop lines and 

bypasses that allow individual sections 

of pipe to be removed from service 

temporarily. 

• Distribution pipeline failures tend 

to occur as leaks. Gas can migrate 

underground, accumulating in areas 

remote from the leak so that fires and 

explosions occur away from the 

pipeline. Transmission pipelines tend to 

fail by rupture because of their high 

operating pressure. The fire and 

explosions on transmission lines occur 

on the pipeline. 

• Distribution pipeline systems tend 

to be local, intrastate systems, which 

state regulators are responsible for 

regulating. A greater proportion of 

transmission pipelines are interstate 

systems, and Federal regulators play a 

much larger role regulating them. 

Developing an Approach to Gas 

Distribution Integrity Management 

Expanding integrity management for 

distribution systems beyond currently 

required practices requires a thorough 

understanding of costs and benefits. 

Following the previous public meeting, 

PHMSA has worked with a number of 

groups comprised of state pipeline 

regulators, pipeline operators, and 

representatives of the public to conduct 

analyses and evaluations in a number of 

areas that must be considered in 

developing any distribution integrity 

management requirements. These 

meetings were announced by a Federal 

Register notice on March 29, 2005 (70 

FR 15988) and subsequent 

announcements on a Web site 

established specifically for this effort. 

The areas considered include: 

• Identifying the principal threats to 

the integrity of distribution pipelines; 

• Identifying requirements and 

practices that currently exist at the State 

and Federal levels that support 

management of these threats to integrity; 

• Determining whether current 

requirements are written effectively to 

create opportunities and incentives for 

operators to use existing and developing 

technologies to support management of 

the integrity of distribution systems; 

• Identifying whether opportunities 

exist for expedited development of new 

technologies supporting the assessment 

of gas distribution systems; 

• Understanding practices beyond 

current requirements that are being used 

by operators and what the results are; 

• Understanding whether there are 

requirements or approaches used by one 

or more States which are not included 

in Federal requirements but which have 

proven effective in managing the 

integrity of gas distribution systems; 

and, 

• Identifying whether the opportunity 

exists to codify currently demonstrated 

effective integrity management practices 

in a national consensus standard. 

The analyses and evaluations 

conducted by the work/study groups 

comprise Phase 1 of the PHMSA plan to 

develop integrity management 

requirements. Phase 1 is expected to be 

completed by the end of 2005. The 

Phase 1 results will support PHMSA 

and state regulators in making decisions 

regarding the nature of requirements 

that may be needed. Achieving 

increased integrity of distribution 

pipeline systems may involve Federal 

and/or State rulemaking, development 

of guidance for adoption by States, 

publication and promotion of best 

practices or national consensus 

standards, or some combination of these 

or other actions. PHMSA will use the 

results of Phase 1 to develop new 

requirements as part of Phase 2 of the 

PHMSA plan, which PHMSA expects to 

begin in early 2006. 

During this meeting, persons involved 

in the Phase 1 program will share the 

scope of their ongoing work and their 

preliminary conclusions with the 

public. Representatives of various 

stakeholder groups will also share their 

perspective with attendees. PHMSA will 

collect comments and suggestions from 

members of the public attending this 

meeting to further inform the Phase 2 

efforts to develop appropriate 

requirements. 

Interested parties may find additional 

information regarding the previous 

public meeting in the docket (http://

dms.dot.gov), then click on Simple 

Search and type in Docket No. 19854. 

Visitors may access the Distribution 

Integrity Management Web site through 

the OPS home page (http://ops.dot.gov) 

by selecting ‘‘Integrity Management’’

and then ‘‘Distribution Integrity 

Management’’.

Issued in Washington, DC, on August 22, 

2005. 

Theodore L. Willke, 

Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline 

Safety.

[FR Doc. 05–16966 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Finance Docket No. 34743] 

BNSF Railway Company—Temporary 

Trackage Rights Exemption—Union 

Pacific Railroad Company 

Union Pacific Railroad Company 

(UP), pursuant to a written trackage 

rights agreement entered into between 

UP and the BNSF Railway Company 

(BNSF), has agreed to grant temporary 

overhead trackage rights to BNSF over 

UP’s rail line between Valley Junction, 

IL, UP milepost 0.00, and Rockview 

Junction, MO, UP milepost 131.3, a 

distance of approximately 131.3 miles.