10630 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 38 / Monday, February 27, 1995 / Notices

1ANR Pipeline Co.; Arkla Energy Resources Co.

(including Mississippi River Transmission Co.);

CNG Transmission Corp.; Colorado Interstate Gas

Co. (including Wyoming Interstate Co., Ltd. and

Young Gas Storage Co., LTD.); Columbia Gas

Transmission Corp.; Columbia Gulf Transmission

Co.; El Paso Natural Gas Co.; Enron Corp. (including

Florida Gas Transmission Co., Houston Pipe Line

Co., Intratex Gas Company, Northern Border

Pipeline Co., Northern Natural Gas Company, Oasis

Pipeline Co., and Transwestern Pipeline Co.);

Granite State Gas Transmission Company; Great

Lakes Gas Transmission Co.; Kern River Gas

Transmission Co.; KN Energy, Inc.; Koch Industries,

Inc. and all subsidiaries; Michigan Consolidated

Gas Co.; Mid Louisiana Gas Co.; Natural Gas

Pipeline Company of America and all subsidiaries;

Michigan Consolidated Gas Co.; Mid Louisiana Gas

Co.; Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America and

all subsidiaries; Northwest Pipeline Corp.; Pacific

Gas & Electric Co.; Pacific Gas Transmission Co.;

Panhandle Eastern Corp. (including Panhandle

Eastern Pipeline Co., Texas Eastern Transmission

Co., Trunkline Gas Co., and Algonquin Gas

Transmission Co.); Questar Pipeline Co.; Southern

California Gas Co.; Southern Natural Gas (including

Southern Natural Gas Co., South Georgia Natural

Gas Co., Sea Robin Pipeline Co., Sonat IntrastateAlabama Inc., and Bear Creek Storage Co.); Tenneco

Gas Transportation Co. (including Tennessee Gas

Pipeline Co, East Tennessee Natural Gas Co.,

Midwestern Gas Transmission Co., and Channel

Gas Transmission Co.); Texas Gas Transmission

Corp.; Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp.;

Williams Natural Gas Co.; and Williston Basin

Interstate Pipeline Co.

2Clock Spring wrap, manufactured by the Clock

Spring Company of North America, is a composite

material of polyester resin reinforced by glass

filament. On installation, it is tightly wound and

adhesively bonded to damaged pipe.

3By letter dated March 22, 1994, INGAA added

Granite State Gas Transmission Company to the

original list of companies seeking a waiver.

4Section 192.485(a) does not preclude the use of

Clock Spring wrap to repair small areas of general

corrosion, nor does § 192.485(b) preclude the use of

Clock Spring wrap to repair localized corrosion

pitting. However, if these defects are on

transmission lines operating at 40 percent or more

of SMYS, § 192.713(a) precludes their repair with

Clock Spring wrap.

5The inspections include examination and

measurement of Clock Spring wrap repairs and

samples of wrap buried next to the repairs. Two

repairs are to be evaluated at intervals of 2, 4, and

8 years. Measurements include strain gage readings

of two repairs at 6-month intervals to verify the

absence of wrap and adhesive creep.

6RSTRENG is a computer program developed to

carry out the procedure called ‘‘A Modified

Criterion for Evaluating the Remaining Strength of

Corroded Pipe.’’ This procedure was developed by

Battelle for the American GAs Association as an

alternative to the ASME B31G procedures. Both

B31G and RSTRENG may be used to comply with

§ 192.485.

7The INGAA petition defined a site to include

multiple repairs on a single pipeline in the same

area or multiple pipelines in the same right-of-way

in the same area.

8Section 192.709 requires pipeline operators to

keep a record of each repair to a transmission line

for as long as the line is in service. This

requirement applies to all transmission line repairs,

and would apply to Clock Spring wrap repairs

regardless of the offer to comply with the

regulation.

Research and Special Programs

Administration

[Docket No. P–93–2W; Notice 2]

Grant of Waiver: Repair of Gas

Transmission Lines

Summary. The Research and Special

Programs Administration (RSPA) waives

certain maintenance regulations to

permit various gas pipeline operators to

repair steel transmission lines with

Clock Spring wrap. The waiver, which

is subject to conditions and future

performance evaluations, advances the

use of new technology.

Background. Twenty-eight companies

and their subsidiaries,1 all gas pipeline

operators, requested that RSPA waive

the safety standards in 49 CFR

192.713(a) and 192.485 for gas

transmission lines operating at 40

percent or more of specified minimum

yield strength (SMYS). The operators

requested the waiver to get permission

to repair the lines with Clock Spring

wrap.2 The request came in a November

22, 1993, petition submitted by the

Interstate Natural Gas Association of

America (INGAA), a gas pipeline trade

association.3

Under § 192.713(a), each imperfection

or damage that impairs the

serviceability of a segment of

transmission line operating at 40

percent or more of SMYS must be

repaired. If it is feasible to remove the

line from service, pipe containing the

imperfection or damage must be

replaced. Otherwise, a full encirclement

welded split sleeve must be installed

over the imperfection or damage. The

waiver request asks permission to use

Clock Spring wrap for repairs instead

of the methods prescribed by

§ 192.713(a).

Section 192.485(a) requires

replacement of transmission line pipe

that is generally corroded to the extent

that wall thickness is unsafe, unless

operating pressure is reduced

appropriately or, if the area of general

corrosion is small, the corroded pipe is

repaired. A similar requirement applies

under § 192.485(b) to transmission lines

with unsafe localized corrosion pitting,

except that repair is not limited to small

areas. The waiver request asks

permission to use Clock Spring wrap

to repair large areas of general corrosion

as an alternative to pipe replacement or

pressure reduction under § 192.485(a).4

In an earlier waiver of § 192.713(a),

RSPA allowed Panhandle Eastern

Corporation (Panhandle) to use Clock

Spring wrap to repair six locations on

its Line # 2 in Fayette County, Ohio (58

FR 13823; March 15, 1993). The waiver

was subject to the conditions that

Panhandle: (1) Install the wrap using the

procedures described in documents

supporting its petition; (2) perform the

inspections described in its petition;5

(3) promptly report to RSPA the results

of the inspections and any unfavorable

performance of the wrap, and (4)

determine and report to RSPA the cause

of any unfavorable performance. In

addition, Panhandle advised that it

would determine the need to repair

generally corroded areas by using ASME

B31G, ‘‘Manual for Determining the

Remaining Strength of Corroded

Pipelines.’’ Also, Panhandle said it

would determine whether Clock

Spring wrap would provide a reliable

repair in particular instances by using a

computer program developed by the Gas

Research Institute (GRI) based on

laboratory and field tests of pipe

repaired with the wrap.

In the present waiver request, the

operators offered to conform to the

Panhandle waiver, except that they

would: (1) Use an enhanced program,

GRI WRAP, to determine whether Clock

Spring wrap would provide a reliable

repair in particular instances; (2) use

either the ASME B31G procedure or

RSTRENG6 to determine if corroded

areas require repair under § 192.485; (3)

coordinate Clock Spring wrap

installations with GRI (to establish a

representative data base to support a

possible rule change), and within 2

years, with GRI’s assistance, excavate

and evaluate a statistical sampling of

sites,7 record the results, and give the

results to RSPA upon request; (4) report

Clock Spring wrap repairs to RSPA or

its state agent within 30 days of repair;

(5) use personnel to install Clock

Spring wrap who have been trained

and certified by Clock Spring Company;

and (6) record installations of Clock

Spring wrap under § 192.709.8

Comments on Proposed Waiver/ In

Notice 1 of this proceeding (59 FR

49739; September 29, 1994), RSPA

proposed to grant the present waiver

request for the safety and economic

reasons stated in the notice. However,

we proposed to restrict the waiver to

repairs no more than 10 feet long. We

felt this restriction was needed because

the pipeline industry has had no

experience in repairing large areas of

generally corroded pipe other than by

pipe replacement. At the same time, we

specifically requested comments on the

aspect of the waiver request that would

allow unlimited areas of general

corrosion to be repaired with Clock

Spring wrap. In addition, regarding the

offer to report Clock Spring wrap

repairs, we proposed that reports be sent

both to RSPA and to the state agent. We

also proposed that the reports be sent
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 38 / Monday, February 27, 1995 / Notices 10631

9RSPA proposed qualification standards for

persons who perform, or supervise the performance

of, operation, maintenance, or emergency-response

functions regulated under 49 CFR Part 192 or 195

(59 FR 39506; Aug. 3, 1994). To maintain

qualifications, refresher training was proposed to

occur at 24-month intervals after certification.

before the time of installation to give

RSPA or the state agent a chance to

inspect the installation process. As to

the offer concerning personnel

qualification, we proposed that initial

training and certification be

supplemented by periodic refresher

training and recertification. Finally, we

said we would review the performance

evaluations of Clock Spring wrap

repairs, and consider terminating the

waiver 3 years after it is granted.

RSPA received written comments on

the proposed waiver from eight entities:

INGAA, Enron Operations Corp.

(Enron), Southern Natural Gas

(Southern), Coastal Corporation

(Coastal), Bay State Gas Company (Bay

State), Columbia Gas Transmission

Corporation, Natural Gas Pipeline

Company of America (Natural), and

Panhandle. The comments are discussed

below according to the issues presented.

All the commenters supported the

proposed waiver, although some

commenters requested changes in the

proposed conditions under which the

waiver could be applied.

Reporting Repairs. INGAA, Enron,

Natural, and Panhandle advised that 30

days’ advance notification would not be

in the public interest when repairs are

needed quickly. Coastal wanted RSPA

to accept the original proposal to report

Clock Spring wrap repairs within 30

days after installation. INGAA and

Natural suggested the waiver allow

operators to give notice when they

decide to use Clock Spring wrap to

repair a damaged pipeline. The

operators, said INGAA, Coastal, and

Natural, should then be allowed to

proceed immediately with repairs,

unless, INGAA and Natural said, the

appropriate agency tells the operator it

wants to view the installation.

Panhandle opposed this latter condition

because it would make pipeline

maintenance subject to agency

schedules.

Given the importance of repairing

unsafe conditions as soon as practicable,

requiring notification of Clock Spring

wrap repairs at least 30 days beforehand

could discourage use of the wrap.

Although we agree operators should not

have to conform their repair plans to

government work schedules, RSPA or

state agents need some period of

advance notification to prepare to

inspect wrap installations. Therefore, as

a condition of the waiver, we are

requiring that operators report

scheduled Clock Spring wrap repairs a

reasonable time in advance of

installation to allow for government

inspection. Under this condition, which

does not apply to emergency

installations, deciding when to install

Clock Spring wrap after giving notice

must take into account the reasonable

travel time of government inspectors.

But operators would not have to delay

installation to conform to government

work schedules apart from reasonable

travel time.

Personnel Training. INGAA, Coastal,

and Natural suggested the waiver allow

installation personnel who have been

trained and certified by the Clock

Spring Company to train and certify

other personnel. Also, INGAA suggested

refresher training and recertification

should be required only for personnel

who infrequently install Clock Spring

wrap. Enron recommended that certified

installers maintain their qualifications

under RSPA’s proposed qualification of

personnel rules.9

Our concern about Clock Spring

wrap installers is that they be qualified.

The suggestion that persons who have

received initial training and certification

from the Clock Spring Company be

allowed to train and certify others is

reasonable and would satisfy this

concern. As for refresher training,

installers would be subject to the

refresher training requirements of the

proposed qualification rules. Because

we probably will issue final

qualification rules before installers need

refresher training, it is not now

necessary to make refresher training part

of this waiver. However, when we

consider the performance evaluations of

Clock Spring wrap, we will reexamine

the refresher training issue if final

qualification rules have not been

published.

Waiver Termination. Enron asked us

not to include a termination date in the

waiver. Instead, Enron recommended

the waiver remain in effect until it is

revoked or becomes unnecessary

because of a change in the regulations.

Southern advised the waiver should be

extended after 3 years if the

performance evaluations are favorable.

By saying we would consider

terminating the waiver within 3 years

after it is granted, we meant the waiver

might be revoked after 3 years if the

performance of Clock Spring wrap

repairs is generally unfavorable. We did

not intend for the waiver to last only 3

years. If the initial evaluations are

favorable, the waiver would continue in

effect, unless new information causes us

to revoke the waiver or a rule change

makes the waiver no longer necessary.

Repair Length. Southern requested

that we clarify that the proposed 10-foot

restriction applies to corroded pipe

under § 192.485(a), and not to

imperfections or damage under

§ 192.713(a). Coastal asked that we

eliminate the proposed restriction

entirely, saying there is no practical

limit to repairs using Clock Spring

wrap. Bay State said the 10-foot limit

was arbitrary, since Clock Spring wrap

has been shown to be an effective

alternative to pipe replacement.

Panhandle felt the 10-foot limit was

unnecessary and artificial.

As stated above, RSPA specifically

asked for comments on the merits of

allowing unlimited areas of general

corrosion to be repaired with Clock

Spring wrap. None of the commenters

expressed concern about the safety of

using Clock Spring wrap beyond the

10-foot range. Indeed, a few commenters

pointed out there is no engineering basis

for imposing a 10-foot limit.

Accordingly, in the absence of an

engineering basis, and considering the

sound GRI test results and the plans to

evaluate Clock Spring wrap

installations, we believe the waiver may

be applied safely without a limit on the

length of repair.

Role of GRI. Panhandle requested

clarification of GRI’s role in carrying out

the waiver. The operator did not

welcome assistance from GRI in any

capacity other than as a record keeper.

Because Clock Spring wrap is new

technology, a major purpose of this

waiver is to provide an opportunity to

evaluate the performance of the wrap

under various operating conditions.

Long range, if the results are favorable,

we would use the collected data as a

basis to change the safety standards that,

in certain instances, prohibit the use of

Clock Spring wrap as a pipeline repair

method. As mentioned above, GRI has

agreed to assist operators in this data

collection effort by assuring the data are

representative. GRI also will assist

operators to evaluate the wrap in a

statistical sampling of sites, record the

results, and provide the results to RSPA.

GRI’s participation will add uniformity

and reliability to evaluations that might

otherwise vary among operators. Thus,

we believe GRI’s participation is an

integral part of this waiver. Any

operator who is unwilling to cooperate

with GRI in the data collection aspect of

this waiver is not entitled to apply the

waiver.

Grant of Waiver.Therefore, for the

reasons stated in Notice 1 of this

proceeding, RSPA, by this order, finds

that the requested waiver is not

inconsistent with pipeline safety. The

petition for waiver of §§ 192.485 and
10632 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 38 / Monday, February 27, 1995 / Notices

192.713(a), allowing the use of Clock

Spring wrap to repair large areas of

general corrosion or other imperfections

or damage on transmission lines

operating at 40 percent or more of

SMYS, is granted to the 28 companies

and their subsidiaries, subject to the

following conditions:

(1) Clock Spring wrap must be

installed using procedures

recommended by the manufacturer;

(2) Clock Spring wrap must be

installed consistent with the program,

GRI WRAP;

(3) Clock Spring wrap must be

installed consistent with a GRI plan,

including, at 2-year intervals, excavating

and evaluating a statistical sample of

sites, recording the results, and sending

the results to RSPA;

(4) To allow inspection by RSPA and

state agencies serving as interstate

enforcement agents, scheduled nonemergency installations of Clock

Spring wrap must be reported (by

phone, fax, or mail) a reasonable time

before installation to the RSPA pipeline

regional office and state agent with

authority over the repair; and

(5) Persons installing Clock Spring

wrap must have been trained and

certified in installation procedures

either by the Clock Spring Company or

by persons the Clock Spring Company

has trained and certified.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. § 60118(c)

George W. Tenley, Jr.,

Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.

[FR Doc. 95–4704 Filed 2–24–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

Fund Availability Under the VA

Homeless Providers Grant and Per

Diem Program

AGENCY: Veterans Health

Administration, VA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans

Affairs is announcing the availability of

funds for applications for assistance

under VA’s Homeless Providers Grant

and Per Diem program. This Notice

contains information concerning the

program, application process and

amount of funding available.

DATES: An original completed grant

application (plus three copies) for

assistance under the VA Homeless

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program

must be received in Mental Health and

Behavioral Sciences Service in

Washington, DC by 5:30 p.m. Eastern

Time on April 28, 1995. Applications

may not be sent by facsimile (FAX). In

the interest of fairness to all competing

applicants this deadline is firm as to

date and hour, and VA will treat as

ineligible for consideration any

application that is received after the

deadline. Applicants should take this

practice into account and make early

submission of their material to avoid

any risk of loss of eligibility brought

about by unanticipated delays or other

delivery-related problems.

FOR A COPY OF THE APPLICATION PACKAGE,

CONTACT: For a copy of the application

package contact Veterans Industries,

10770 N. 46th Street (A 400), Tampa,

FL, 33617; (813) 228–2871 between the

hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern

Time, Monday through Friday (this is

not a toll-free call). For documents

relating to the VA Homeless Providers

Grant and Per Diem Program see the

final rule codified at 38 CFR 17.700

published elsewhere in this Federal

Register (see also 59 FR 28284). Funds

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ADDRESSES: An original completed grant

application (plus three copies) must be

submitted to the following address:

Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences

Service (111C), Department of Veterans

Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave., NW.,

Washington, DC 20420, Attention: Roger

J. Casey. Applications must be received

in Mental Health and Behavioral

Sciences Service by the application

deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Roger J. Casey, Program Manager, VA

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem

Program, Mental Health and Behavioral

Sciences Service (111C), Department of

Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave.,

NW., Washington, DC 20420; (202) 535–

7313 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

Notice announces the availability of

funds for assistance under VA’s

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem

program. This program is authorized by

Pub. L. 102–590, the Homeless Veterans

Comprehensive Service Programs Act of

1992. Funding applied for under this

Notice may be used for: (1) Expansion,

remodeling or alteration of existing

buildings; (2) acquisition of buildings,

and acquisition and rehabilitation of

buildings; (3) new construction; and (4)

procurement of vans. Applicants must

have established supportive housing or

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November 10, 1992. Applicants may

apply for more than one type of

assistance.

Those applicants interested in

applying for per diem payments, or inkind assistance through VA in lieu of

per diem payments, need only submit

Request for Recognition of Eligibility.

Requirements for receiving per diem

payments are specified at 38 CFR

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proposal for an existing project that

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Authority

VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and

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sections 3 and 4 of Pub. L. 102–590, the

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Allocation

A total of $6.0 million is available for

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VA made nineteen such awards last

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contingent upon the applicant achieving

the requisite score.