Document ID: PHMSA-2022-0123-0002
Agency: phmsa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Pipeline Safety: Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment for the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program
Posted Date: 2022-11-09T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67748-67749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24378]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No: PHMSA-2022-0123]

Pipeline Safety: Notice of Availability of the Tier 1 Nationwide 
Environmental Assessment for the Natural Gas Distribution 
Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: PHMSA announces the availability for public review and comment 
on the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization 
(NGDISM) Grant Program Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment. 
PHMSA is using a programmatic, tiered environmental analysis to: 
describe the effects of implementing the NGDISM Grant Program and 
ensure that implementation of the NGDISM Grant Program at any project 
site complies with environmental laws and does not result in a 
significant environmental impact.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 9, 2022. To the extent possible, PHMSA will consider late-
filed comments.

ADDRESSES: Comments should reference the Docket number for this notice 
and may be submitted in the following ways:
    E-Gov website: 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 DOT, West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 
5 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: Identify docket number PHMSA-2022-0123 at the 
beginning of your comments. To avoid duplication, please use only one 
of these four methods. Note that all comments received will be posted 
without change to http://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 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 
visit http://www.regulations.gov before submitting any such comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket or to read background documents or 
comments, go to http://www.regulations.gov or DOT's Docket Operations 
Office (see ADDRESSES). 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-2022-
0123.'' The Docket Clerk will date stamp the postcard prior to 
returning it to you via the U.S. mail. Please note that due to delays 
in the delivery of U.S. mail to Federal offices in Washington, DC, we 
recommend that persons consider an alternative method (internet, fax, 
or professional delivery service) of submitting comments to the docket 
and ensuring their timely receipt at DOT.
    Privacy Act Statement: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT may 
solicit comments from the public regarding certain general notices. DOT 
posts these

[[Page 67749]]

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.
    Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both 
customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the 
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from 
public disclosure. If your comments responsive to this notice contain 
commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as 
private, that you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or 
responsive to this notice, it is important that you clearly designate 
the submitted comments as CBI. Pursuant to 49 CFR 190.343, you may ask 
PHMSA to give confidential treatment to information you give to the 
Agency by taking the following steps: (1) mark each page of the 
original document submission containing CBI as ``Confidential''; (2) 
send PHMSA, along with the original document, a second copy of the 
original document with the CBI deleted; and (3) explain why the 
information you are submitting is CBI. Unless you are notified 
otherwise, PHMSA will treat such marked submissions as confidential 
under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public docket of 
this notice. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to the program 
office at [email protected]. Any commentary PHMSA receives 
that is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public 
docket for this matter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shakira Mack by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at 202-366-7652.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub. L. 117-58) was enacted. Under the 
heading ``Department of Transportation--Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration--Natural Gas Distribution 
Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program'' in title VIII 
of division J, the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and 
Modernization Grant Program was established. The stated purpose of the 
program is to provide grant opportunities to municipality and 
community-owned utilities (not including for-profit entities) ``to 
repair, rehabilitate, or replace its natural gas distribution pipeline 
system or portions thereof or to acquire equipment to (1) reduce 
incidents and fatalities and (2) avoid economic losses.'' The statutory 
requirements for PHMSA's implementation of the program are mandatory, 
and PHMSA is expected to implement the program as swiftly as possible 
to reduce incidents, fatalities, and adverse impacts to the public and 
the environment, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
    Under the Federal Pipeline Safety Laws, 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq., 
the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) must prescribe minimum 
safety standards for pipeline transportation and for pipeline 
facilities. The Secretary has delegated this authority to the PHMSA 
Administrator (49 CFR 1.97(a)). Therefore, PHMSA is the Federal safety 
agency responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, and environmentally 
sound operations of our Nation's pipeline transportation system. 
Through the NGDISM Grant Program, PHMSA seeks to (1) reduce the risk 
profile of existing municipality and community-owned (not including 
for-profit entities) natural gas distribution pipeline systems, 
including pipe prone to leakage of methane, (2) create related jobs, 
(3) provide economic impact and growth, and (4) benefit disadvantaged 
rural and urban communities.
    PHMSA is publishing this notice, in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), to give stakeholders an 
opportunity to comment on PHMSA's Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental 
Assessment.
    We invite interested persons to review and provide comment on the 
Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment which is included in the 
docket for this notice. The document is available at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket number PHMSA-2022-0123. Please include 
comment on potential safety, environmental, and any additional impacts 
that should be considered.
    Before issuing the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment, 
PHMSA will evaluate all comments received on or before the comment 
closing date. Comments received after the closing date will be 
evaluated if it is possible to do so without incurring additional 
expense or delay. PHMSA will consider each relevant comment it receives 
prior to issuing the Tier 1 Nationwide Environmental Assessment as part 
of the NGDISM Grant Program.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 
35, as amended.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 2, 2022, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2022-24378 Filed 11-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P