‘‘(B) does not include the gathering of gas,
other than gathering through regulated gathering
lines, in those rural locations that are outside the
limits of any incorporated or unincorporated
city, town, or village, or any other designated
residential or commercial area (such as a sub-
division, business, shopping center, or commu-
nity development) or any similar populated area
which the Secretary of Transportation may de-
fine as a nonrural area; but
‘‘(C) includes the movement of gas through
regulated gathering lines.’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(23) ‘best estimate’ means a scientifically ap-
propriate estimate which is based, to the extent fea-
sible, on one of the following:
‘‘(A) Central estimates of risk using the
most plausible assumptions.
‘‘(B) An approach which combines multiple
estimates based on different scenarios and weighs
the probability of each scenario.
‘‘(C) Any other methodology designed to
provide the most unbiased representation of the
most plausible level of risk, given the current sci-
entific information available to the Secretary.
‘‘(24) ‘benefits’ means the reasonably identifiable
significant health, safety, environmental, social, and
economic benefits that are expected to result directly
or indirectly from implementation of a standard, reg-
ulatory requirement, or option.
‘‘(25) ‘costs’ means the direct and indirect costs
to the United States Government, to State, local, and
tribal governments, and to the private sector, wage
earners, consumers, and the economy of implementing
and complying with a standard, regulatory require-
ment, or option.
‘‘(26) ‘risk assessment document’ means a docu-
ment containing—
‘‘(A) an explanation of how hazards associ-
ated with a substance, activity, or condition have
been identified, quantified, and assessed; and
‘‘(B) a statement by the preparer of the doc-
ument accepting the findings of the document.
‘‘(27) ‘risk management’ means the systematic
application, by the owner or operator of a pipeline
facility, of management policies, procedures, finite re-
sources, and practices to the tasks of analyzing, as-
sessing, and controlling risk in order to protect em-
ployees, the general public, the environment, and
pipeline facilities.
‘‘(28) ‘risk management plan’ means a manage-
ment plan utilized by a gas or hazardous liquid pipe-
line facility owner or operator that encompasses risk
management.
‘‘(29) ‘significant standard or regulatory re-
quirement’ means any safety or environmental stand-
ard or regulatory requirement, or closely related
group of safety or environmental standards or regu-
latory requirements, that is likely to result in
annualized compliance costs in excess of $25,000,000.
‘‘(30) ‘substitution risk’ means a potential risk
to public safety or the environment from a significant
standard, regulatory requirement, or option designed
to decrease other risks.’’.
(b) GATHERING
LINES.—Section 60101(b)(2) is
amended by inserting ‘‘, if appropriate,’’ after ‘‘Secretary’’
the first place it appears.
SEC. 5. GENERAL AUTHORITY.
(a) MINIMUM SAFETY STANDARDS.—Section 60102(a)
is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘(a)’’;
(2) by striking paragraph (2);
(3) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B),
and (C) as paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), respectively;