Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 172 / Wednesday, September 7, 2005 / Notices 53273 

1This transaction is related to STB Finance 

Docket No. 34741, KWT Railway, Inc.—Lease and 

Operate—Murray-Calloway Economic Development 

Corporation, wherein KWT Railway, Inc. (KWT), 

has filed a notice of exemption to lease and operate 

the portion of rail line between milepost 38.34 and 

approximately milepost 37.34. 

2EDC states that, ‘‘* * * [t]o the extent that the 

line is considered a ‘‘line of railroad’’ the EDC 

intends to embargo or discontinue service over the 

rest of the line.’’ Because EDC is acquiring the 8.34- 

mile line pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10901, the entire 

line is a line of railroad, and EDC is acquiring a 

common carrier obligation to either provide service 

over all of it or assure that service is provided by 

another carrier. Should EDC seek to terminate that 

Continued 

crews endangered by an encounter with 

a underwater pipeline. 

2. Identify and caution marine vessel 

operators in offshore shipping lanes and 

other offshore areas where Hurricane 

Katrina may have affected a pipeline 

that deploying fishing nets or anchors, 

and dredging operations may damage 

the pipeline, their vessels, and endanger 

their crews. 

3. In the process of bringing offshore 

and inland transmission facilities back 

online, check for structural damage to 

piping, valves, emergency shutdown 

systems, risers and supporting systems. 

Aerial inspections of pipeline routes 

should be conducted to check for leaks 

in the transmission systems. In areas 

where floating and jack-up rigs have 

moved and their path could have been 

over the pipelines, review possible 

routes and check for sub-sea pipeline 

damage where required. 

4. Identify and correct any conditions 

on the pipeline as required by the 

Federal pipeline safety regulations. 

PHMSA would appreciate receiving 

information about all damage to 

pipeline facilities in the Gulf of Mexico 

and adjacent State waters caused by 

Hurricane Katrina. The Federal pipeline 

safety regulations require that operators 

report certain incidents and accidents to 

PHMSA by specific methods. Damage 

not reported by these methods may be 

reported to Joy Kadnar at (202) 366–

0568 or joy.kadnar@dot.gov. 

(49 U.S.C. Chapter 601; 49 CFR 1.53). 

Issued in Washington, DC on August 31, 

2005. 

Joy Kadnar, 

Director of Engineering and Engineering 

Support. 

[FR Doc. 05–17652 Filed 9–6–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

Safety Administration 

Pipeline Safety Advisory: Potential for 

Damage to Natural Gas Distribution 

Pipeline Facilities Caused by the 

Passage of Hurricane Katrina 

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration 

(PHMSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of advisory 

bulletin. 

SUMMARY: PHMSA is issuing this 

advisory bulletin to owners and 

operators of natural gas distribution 

pipeline facilities to communicate the 

potential for damage to pipeline 

facilities caused by the passage of 

Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: This document can be 

viewed on the Office of Pipeline Safety 

(OPS) Home page at: http://ops.dot.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joy 

Kadnar, (202) 366–0568, or by e-mail at 

Joy.Kadnar@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The purpose of this advisory bulletin 

is to warn all operators of natural gas 

distribution pipeline facilities that 

safety problems may have been caused 

by the passage of Hurricane Katrina on 

August 29, 2005. 

Past instances of flooding have 

resulted in significant pipeline system 

damage including exposed pipes, failure 

of pipelines crossing rivers and streams, 

damage to meter sets, pipeline leaks 

from soil movement, and water leaking 

into pipeline systems. Due to the storm 

surge and extensive flooding caused by 

Hurricane Katrina, extensive damage to 

facilities may be expected. 

The Federal pipeline safety 

regulations (49 CFR part 192) require 

operators to shut down and start up 

pipeline facilities in a safe manner and 

to conduct periodic pipeline patrols to 

detect unusual operating and 

maintenance conditions and to take 

corrective action if conditions are 

unsafe. 

Gas pipeline safety regulations require 

that operators mitigate the safety 

condition if a pipeline facility is 

damaged. The regulations require 

damaged pipeline facilities be repaired 

or replaced as necessary to eliminate the 

hazard, and that damage resulting in a 

death or injury or exceeding $50,000 

must be promptly reported to the 

National Response Center (NRC) at 1–

800–424–8802. 

II. Advisory Bulletin (ADB–05–07) 

To: Owners and operators of natural 

gas distribution pipeline facilities. 

Subject: Potential for damage to 

natural gas distribution pipeline 

facilities caused by the passage of 

Hurricane Katrina. 

Advisory: All operators of natural gas 

distribution pipeline facilities in the 

states of Louisiana, Mississippi, 

Alabama, and Florida are warned that 

pipeline safety problems may have been 

caused by the passage of Hurricane 

Katrina on August 29, 2005. Likely 

problems include but are not limited to 

damage of above ground equipment due 

to flooding and flying debris, damage to 

buried pipelines from soil movement, 

and water leaking into low pressure 

pipelines. 

Pipeline operators are urged to take 

the following actions to ensure personal 

and environmental safety and the 

integrity of natural gas distribution 

pipeline facilities located in areas 

impacted by Hurricane Katrina: 

1. Conduct additional leak surveys 

and inspection of above ground 

equipment as necessary to detect any 

damage which may have occurred. 

2. For distribution systems or portions 

of systems that have been shut down, 

check for damage to piping, valves, 

emergency shutdown systems, risers 

and meter sets prior to restoring system 

operation and relighting customers. 

3. Check for water that may have 

leaked into low pressure systems. 

4. Identify and correct any conditions 

on the pipeline as required by the 

Federal pipeline safety regulations. (49 

U.S.C. Chapter 601; 49 CFR 1.53). 

Issued in Washington, DC on August 31, 

2005. 

Joy Kadnar, 

Director of Engineering and Engineering 

Support. 

[FR Doc. 05–17653 Filed 9–6–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Finance Docket No. 34742] 

Murray-Calloway Economic 

Development Corporation—

Acquisition Exemption—Hardin 

Southern Railroad, Inc. 

Murray-Calloway Economic 

Development Corporation (EDC), a 

noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of 

exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to 

acquire by purchase from Hardin 

Southern Railroad, Inc., a rail line 

between milepost 38.34, near Murray, in 

Calloway County, KY, and milepost 30, 

near Hardin, in Marshall County, KY, a 

total distance of 8.34 miles.1 EDC states 

that it does not intend to operate the 

line or to hold itself out to provide 

common carrier service.2