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. 

50440 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 165 / Friday, August 26, 2005 / Notices 

The transaction was scheduled to be 

consummated on August 15, 2005, and 

the temporary trackage rights will expire 

on October 16, 2005. The purpose of the 

temporary trackage rights is to allow 

BNSF to bridge a limited number of its 

trains while its main lines are out of 

service due to programmed track, 

roadbed, and structural maintenance. 

As a condition to this exemption, any 

employee affected by the acquisition of 

the temporary 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), and any employee affected by 

the discontinuance of those trackage 

rights will be protected by the 

conditions set out in Oregon Short Line 

R. Co.—Abandonment—Goshen, 360 

I.C.C. 91 (1979). 

This notice is filed under 49 CFR 

1180.2(d)(8). If it 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. 34743, must be filed with 

the Surface Transportation Board, 1925 

K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each 

pleading must be served on Michael E. 

Roper, Senior General Attorney, BNSF 

Railway Company, P. O. Box 961039, 

Fort Worth, TX 76161–0039. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web site at http://

www.stb.dot.gov.

Decided: August 22, 2005.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Vernon A. Williams, 

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 05–17025 Filed 8–25–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P