Document ID: PHMSA-2012-0319-0001
Agency: phmsa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Pipeline Safety: Annual Reports and Validation
Posted Date: 2013-01-28T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 18 (Monday, January 28, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5866-5867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-01619]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket ID PHMSA-2012-0319]

Pipeline Safety: Annual Reports and Validation

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

ACTION: Notice of extension of submittal deadline for calendar year 
2012 gas transmission and gathering annual reports, remind pipeline 
owners and operators to validate their Operator Identification Number 
data, and request supplemental reports to correct gas transmission and 
liquefied natural gas annual report data issues.

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SUMMARY: Over the past three years, PHMSA has made a number of 
amendments to pipeline data regulations and reporting forms for gas, 
hazardous liquids, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) operators. Most 
recently, on December 5, 2012, the Office of Management and Budget 
approved revisions to the gas transmission and gathering annual report. 
Based on the significant changes to the gas transmission and gathering 
annual report, PHMSA is extending the filing deadline for calendar year 
2012 data from March 15, 2013, to June 15, 2013. In addition, certain 
operators with Operator Identification Numbers (OPID) established prior 
to January 1, 2011, are required to validate their OPID data before 
June 30, 2012. PHMSA has determined that a number of operators have not 
completed their OPID data validations. Therefore, PHMSA is using this 
notice to remind operators to validate their OPID data. PHMSA has also 
noticed that annual reports submitted by gas transmission and LNG 
operators contain data that conflicts with other required reports 
submitted to PHMSA. Operators should review their

[[Page 5867]]

annual report data to ensure it is accurate and submit supplemental 
reports to correct errors.

DATES: The filing deadline for calendar year 2012 data for the gas 
transmission and gathering annual report is extended to June 15, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Blaine Keener, National Field 
Coordinator, by telephone at 202-366-0970 or by email at 
blaine.keener@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Submittal Deadline for Calendar Year 2012 Gas Transmission and 
Gathering Annual Reports

    On December 5, 2012, the Office of Management and Budget approved 
revisions to the gas transmission and gathering annual report (PHMSA F-
7100.2-1). Based on the significant changes to the report, PHMSA is 
extending the filing deadline for calendar year 2012 data from March 
15, 2013 to June 15, 2013. Docket PHMSA-2012-0024 includes details 
about the changes to the report.
    PHMSA anticipates enabling the online submittal of gas transmission 
and gathering annual reports no later than March 1, 2013. When the 
online reporting system is available, PHMSA will send an email to 
pipeline operator staff who submitted calendar year 2011 gas 
transmission and gathering annual reports.

Validation

    A final rule published in the Federal Register on November 26, 
2010, (75 FR 72878) established new regulations (49 CFR Sec. Sec.  
191.22 and 195.64) requiring certain pipeline operators and LNG 
operators established prior to January 1, 2011, to validate data on 
file with PHMSA before June 30, 2012. PHMSA extended the compliance 
deadline for completing validation to September 30, 2012, in Advisory 
Bulletin ADB-2012-04, published in the Federal Register on March 21, 
2012, (77 FR 16471). Two types of gas distribution pipeline operators, 
master meter operators and small LPG operators, are not required to 
complete validation. All other pipeline operators and LNG operators 
that received an OPID from PHMSA prior to January 1, 2011 are required 
to validate their OPID data.
    Based on validation data collected through the end of November 
2012, approximately sixteen percent of operators with an OPID that were 
required to validate their data had not complied with this requirement. 
To avoid enforcement action, these operators should log into the on-
line PHMSA Portal at https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/phmsaportallanding 
and complete their validation. Any operator that has not registered 
staff in the PHMSA Portal must register by following the instructions 
at http://opsweb.phmsa.dot.gov/portal_message/PHMSA_Portal_Registration.pdf before validation can be completed.

Gas Transmission Annual Reports--Incidents in High Consequence Areas

    From calendar year 2004 through 2009 inclusive, PHMSA collected 
data about incidents in high consequence areas (HCAs) as part of gas 
integrity management performance reports. Starting with calendar year 
2010, this incident data became integrated in the gas transmission and 
gathering annual report. Gas transmission pipeline operators are also 
required to submit a gas transmission and gathering incident report for 
each incident. Since 2004, gas transmission and gathering incident 
reports have indicated whether the incident occurred in an HCA. 
``Incidents occurring in HCA'' data from gas integrity management 
performance reports, gas transmission annual reports, and incident 
reports is publicly available on the PHMSA Web site at http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/gasimp/pm_summary2.htm.
    For all years except 2009, the numbers from ``Incidents occurring 
in HCA'' data, included in the integrity management performance reports 
and annual reports do not match the number from incident reports. While 
the number of ``Incidents occurring in HCA'' data matches for 2009, the 
OPIDs detailed in the integrity management performance reports do not 
match the OPIDs in the incident reports. Gas transmission operators who 
have reported incidents in HCAs from 2004 through 2011 in either gas 
integrity management performance reports, gas transmission annual 
reports, or incident reports should submit supplemental reports as 
needed to correct the data.
    Gas integrity management performance reports can be created or 
supplemented by sending changes to blaine.keener@dot.gov. Gas 
transmission annual reports and incident reports from 2010 forward can 
be created or supplemented in the PHMSA Portal at https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/phmsaportallanding. Incident reports from 2004 
through 2009 inclusive can be created or supplemented by sending an 
email to InformationResourcesManager@dot.gov.

Liquefied Natural Gas Annual Reports/Incidents and Safety-Related 
Conditions

    Since calendar year 2010, LNG operators have been required to 
submit annual reports to PHMSA. Part C of the annual report includes 
data about incidents and Part D includes data about safety-related 
condition (SRC) reports. LNG operators are also required to submit 
separate reports to PHMSA for incidents and safety-related conditions.
    Based on the LNG data available at the end of November 2012, there 
are inconsistencies between the data for annual reports, incident 
reports, and SRC reports. Although there have been no LNG incident 
reports submitted, LNG annual report data indicates there was one LNG 
incident in 2010 and another in 2011. PHMSA's SRC report data indicates 
there were five LNG safety-related conditions reported in 2010 and 
2011. However, LNG annual reports indicate 264 safety-related 
conditions for 2010 and 2011 combined. LNG operators should review 
their annual reports and SRC reports and submit supplemental reports as 
needed to correct the data.
    LNG annual report data and SRC report data can be downloaded at the 
following URL: http://phmsa.dot.gov/pipeline/library/data-stats.
    LNG annual and incident reports can be submitted and supplemented 
in the PHMSA Portal at https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/phmsaportallanding. 
SRC reports can be created or supplemented by sending an email to 
InformationResourcesManager@dot.gov.

Jeffrey D. Wiese,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2013-01619 Filed 1-25-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P