[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 38 (Monday, February 27, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10630-10632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-4704]



[[Page 10630]]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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<Register> 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<Register> 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\

    \1\ANR 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 Intrastate-Alabama 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.
    \2\Clock Spring<Register> 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.
    \3\By letter dated March 22, 1994, INGAA added Granite State Gas 
Transmission Company to the original list of companies seeking a 
waiver.
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    Under Sec. 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<Register> wrap for repairs instead of 
the methods prescribed by Sec. 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 Sec. 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<Register> wrap to repair large areas of general corrosion as an 
alternative to pipe replacement or pressure reduction under 
Sec. 192.485(a).\4\

    \4\Section 192.485(a) does not preclude the use of Clock 
Spring<Register> wrap to repair small areas of general corrosion, 
nor does Sec. 192.485(b) preclude the use of Clock Spring<Register> 
wrap to repair localized corrosion pitting. However, if these 
defects are on transmission lines operating at 40 percent or more of 
SMYS, Sec. 192.713(a) precludes their repair with Clock 
Spring<Register> wrap.
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    In an earlier waiver of Sec. 192.713(a), RSPA allowed Panhandle 
Eastern Corporation (Panhandle) to use Clock Spring<Register> 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<Register> 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.

    \5\The inspections include examination and measurement of Clock 
Spring<Register> 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.
    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<Register> wrap 
would provide a reliable repair in particular instances; (2) use either 
the ASME B31G procedure or RSTRENG\6\ to determine if corroded areas 
require repair under Sec. 192.485; (3) coordinate Clock 
Spring<Register> 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<Register> wrap repairs to RSPA or 
its state agent within 30 days of repair; (5) use personnel to install 
Clock Spring<Register> wrap who have been trained and certified by 
Clock Spring Company; and (6) record installations of Clock 
Spring<Register> wrap under Sec. 192.709.\8\

    \6\RSTRENG 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 Sec. 192.485.
    \7\The 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.
    \8\Section 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<Register> wrap repairs regardless of 
the offer to comply with the regulation.
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    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<Register> wrap. In addition, regarding the offer to 
report Clock Spring<Register> wrap repairs, we proposed that reports be 
sent both to RSPA and to the state agent. We also proposed that the 
reports be sent [[Page 10631]] 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<Register> 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<Register> 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<Register> 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<Register> 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<Register> 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<Register> 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<Register> wrap. Enron recommended that certified installers 
maintain their qualifications under RSPA's proposed qualification of 
personnel rules.\9\

    \9\RSPA 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.
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    Our concern about Clock Spring<Register> 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<Register> 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<Register> 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 Sec. 192.485(a), and 
not to imperfections or damage under Sec. 192.713(a). Coastal asked 
that we eliminate the proposed restriction entirely, saying there is no 
practical limit to repairs using Clock Spring<Register> wrap. Bay State 
said the 10-foot limit was arbitrary, since Clock Spring<Register> 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<Register> wrap. None of the commenters expressed concern 
about the safety of using Clock Spring<Register> 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<Register> 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<Register> 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<Register> 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 
Secs. 192.485 and [[Page 10632]] 192.713(a), allowing the use of Clock 
Spring<Register> 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<Register> wrap must be installed using procedures 
recommended by the manufacturer;

    (2) Clock Spring<Register> wrap must be installed consistent with 
the program, GRI WRAP;

    (3) Clock Spring<Register> 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 non-emergency installations of 
Clock Spring<Register> 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<Register> 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. Sec. 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