Document ID: PHMSA-2017-0094-0001
Agency: phmsa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Meetings: Pipeline Safety: Coastal Ecological Unusually Sensitive Areas
Posted Date: 2017-10-16T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 198 (Monday, October 16, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48151-48152]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22319]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2017-0094]

Pipeline Safety: Coastal Ecological Unusually Sensitive Areas 
Public Meeting

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a one-day public meeting to discuss 
applicable definitions and available geospatial information system 
(GIS) data sources for marine coastal waters, coastal beaches and the 
Great Lakes, pertaining to Coastal Ecological Unusually Sensitive Areas 
(USA).

DATES: The Coastal Ecological USA public meeting will occur on November 
17, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Members of the public who 
wish to attend in person are asked to register no later than November 
7, 2017, to facilitate entry and guarantee seating. Individuals 
requiring accommodations, such as sign language interpretation or other 
ancillary aids, are asked to notify PHMSA no later than November 7, 
2017. For additional information, please see the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at a location yet to be determined 
in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. The meeting location, agenda 
and any additional information will be published once they are 
finalized on the following public meeting registration page at: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=129.

Public Participation

    This meeting will be open to the public. Members of the public who 
wish to attend in person are asked to register at: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=129 to facilitate entry 
and guarantee seating. Members of the public who attend in person will 
also be provided an opportunity to make a statement during the meeting.

Services for Individuals With Disabilities

    The public meeting will be physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Individuals requiring accommodations, such as sign 
language interpretation or other ancillary aids, are asked to notify 
Leigha Gooding at leigha.gooding@dot.gov.
    The meeting will not be webcast; however, a conference call number 
and presentation slides will be available to remote participants, and 
any documents presented will be available on the meeting Web site and 
posted on the E-Gov Web site at http://www.regulations.gov in docket 
number PHMSA-2017-0094 within 30 days following the meeting.
    Written comments: Written comments on the meeting may be submitted 
to the docket in the following ways:
    E-Gov Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. This site allows the 
public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice issued by any 
agency.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation 
(DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the ground level of the DOT West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. 
and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
    Instructions: Identify the docket number PHMSA-2017-0094 at the 
beginning of your comments. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. You should know that anyone is able to search the 
electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the 
name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, 
if submitted on behalf of an

[[Page 48152]]

association, business, labor union, etc.). Therefore, you may want to 
review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register 
published on April 11, 2000, (65 FR 19477) or view the Privacy Notice 
at www.regulations.gov before submitting any such comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket or to read background documents, 
go to www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-140 on the ground 
level of the DOT West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 
DC, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.
    If you wish to receive confirmation of receipt of your written 
comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard with the 
following statement: ``Comments on PHMSA-2017-0094.'' The Docket Clerk 
will date stamp the postcard prior to returning it to you via the U.S. 
mail.

Privacy Act Statement

    DOT may solicit comments from the public regarding certain general 
notices. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal 
information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as 
described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL- 14 FDMS), which can 
be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the meeting, 
contact Leigha Gooding by phone at 202-366-0667 or by email at 
leigha.gooding@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Section 19 of the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and 
Enhancing Safety Act of 2016 (Pub. L. 114-183) requires PHMSA to expand 
the definition of an Ecological resource USA (as defined in 49 CFR 
195.6(b)) to include the Great Lakes, coastal beaches and marine 
coastal waters. All USAs are treated as high consequence areas (HCAs), 
which are subject to stricter safety and maintenance standards (such as 
49 CFR 195.452). To address this mandate, PHMSA must define and map 
these areas. The focus of this one-day public meeting is to bring 
pipeline safety stakeholders together to discuss applicable definitions 
and available GIS data sources for Great Lakes, coastal beaches and 
marine coastal waters. Stakeholder feedback may inform future policy 
efforts impacting the definition of a Coastal Ecological USA.

II. Meeting Details and Agenda

    The Coastal Ecological USA public meeting will include discussions 
from government and industry stakeholders on proposed definition, 
available GIS data sources, and how Coastal Ecological USA protect the 
public and environment through integrity management planning. The 
meeting will also include facilitated discussions with meeting 
participants and experts to understand additional perspectives on 
proposed definitions and recommended GIS data sources.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on October 10, 2017, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2017-22319 Filed 10-13-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P