61504 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 204 / Monday, October 24, 2005 / Notices 

[FR Doc. 05–21253 Filed 10–21–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–C 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

Safety Administration 

[Docket: RSPA–98–4957] 

Request for Public Comments and 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) Approval of an Existing 

Information Collection (2137–0601) 

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration 

(PHMSA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

SUMMARY: This notice requests public 

participation in the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

approval process for the renewal of an 

existing PHMSA information collection. 

In compliance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection Request (ICR) described 

below has been forwarded to OMB for 

extension of the currently approved 

collection. The ICR describes the nature 

of the information collection and the 

expected burden. PHMSA published a 

Federal Register Notice soliciting 

comments on the following information 

collection and received none. The 

purpose of this notice is to allow the 

public an additional 30 days from the 

date of this notice to submit comments. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before November 23, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the 

Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20503, Attention DOT 

Desk Officer. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

William Fuentevilla, (202) 366–6199, by 

e-mail at William.Fuentevilla@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 collections; 

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 of 

other forms of information technology. 

PHMSA published a Federal Register 

Notice with a 60-day comment period 

for this ICR on August 11, 2005 (70 FR 

46915). 

Underwater pipelines are being 

abandoned at an increasing rate as older 

facilities reach the end of their useful 

life. This trend is expected to continue. 

In 1992, Congress responded to this 

issue by amending the Pipeline Safety 

Act (49 U.S.C. 60108(c)(6)(B)). The Act 

directs the Secretary of Transportation 

to require operators of an offshore 

pipeline facility, or a pipeline crossing 

navigable waters, to report the 

abandonment to the Secretary of 

Transportation in a way that specifies 

whether the facility has been abandoned 

properly according to applicable Federal 

and State requirements. PHMSA’s 

regulations for abandonment reporting 

can be found at 49 CFR 192.727 and 

195.402. 

This information collection supports 

the DOT strategic goal of safety by 

reducing the number of fatalities, 

injuries, and amount of property 

damage. 

As used in this notice, ‘‘information 

collection’’ includes all work related to 

preparing and disseminating 

information related to this 

recordkeeping requirement including 

completing paperwork, gathering 

information and conducting telephone 

calls. 

Type of Information Collection 

Request: Renewal of Existing Collection. 

Title of Information Collection: 

Pipeline Safety Reports of Abandoned 

Underwater Pipelines 

Respondents: Gas and hazardous 

liquid pipeline operators. 

Estimated Number of Respondents 

per Year: 10. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 60 hours. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on October 18, 

2005. 

Florence L. Hamn, 

Director of Regulations, Office of Pipeline 

Safety. 

[FR Doc. 05–21140 Filed 10–21–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

Safety Administration 

[Docket: RSPA–98–4957] 

Request for Public Comments and 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) Approval of an Existing 

Information Collection (2137–0600) 

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration 

(PHMSA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

SUMMARY: This notice requests public 

participation in the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

approval process for the renewal of an 

existing PHMSA information collection. 

In compliance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection Request (ICR) described 

below has been forwarded to OMB for 

extension of the currently approved 

collection. The ICR describes the nature 

of the information collection and the 

expected burden. PHMSA published a 

Federal Register Notice soliciting 

comments on the following collection of 

information and received none. The 

purpose of this notice is to allow the 

public an additional 30 days from the 

date of this notice to submit comments. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before November 23, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the 

Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, 725–17th Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20503, Attention DOT 

Desk Officer. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

William Fuentevilla, (202) 366–6199, by 

e-mail at William.Fuentevilla@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 collections; 

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 of 

other forms of information technology. 

PHMSA published a Federal Register 

Notice with a 60-day comment period 

for this ICR on August 11, 2005 (70 FR 

46914). 

Congress expressed concern with 

unskilled pipeline personnel in the 

Pipeline Safety and Reauthorization Act 

of 1988 (Pub. L. 100–561). This Act 

authorized the Secretary of 

Transportation to require all individuals 

responsible for the operation and 

maintenance of pipeline facilities to be 

properly qualified to safely perform 

their tasks. The operator qualification 

requirements are described in the 

pipeline safety regulations at 49 CFR 

part 192, subpart N and 49 CFR part 

195, subpart G.