[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 75 (Monday, April 21, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16766-16768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-06777]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2025-0011]
Pipeline Safety: Request for Special Permit; Natural Gas Pipeline
Company of America (NGPL)
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[[Page 16767]]
(PHMSA); U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments on
a request for a special permit for 16 special permit segments submitted
by Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC (NGPL), a subsidiary of
Kinder Morgan, Inc. NGPL is seeking relief from compliance with certain
requirements in the Federal pipeline safety regulations. PHMSA has
proposed conditions to ensure the special permit is not inconsistent
with pipeline safety. At the conclusion of the 30-day comment period,
PHMSA will review the comments received from this notice as part of its
evaluation to grant or deny the special permit request.
DATES: Submit any comments regarding this special permit request by May
21, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Comments should reference the docket number for this special
permit request and may be submitted in the following ways:
E-Gov Website: https://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 System: U.S. Department of Transportation,
Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: Docket Management System: U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, between
9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Instructions: You should identify the docket number for the special
permit request you are commenting on at the beginning of your comments.
If you submit your comments by mail, please submit two (2) copies. To
receive confirmation that PHMSA has received your comments, please
include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Internet users may submit
comments at https://www.regulations.gov.
Note: There is a privacy statement published on https://www.regulations.gov. Comments, including any personal information
provided, are posted without changes or edits to https://www.regulations.gov.
Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business
Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both
customarily and 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 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 Code of Federal Regulations
(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 Lee
Cooper, DOT, PHMSA-PHP-80, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590-0001. 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:
General: Mr. Lee Cooper by telephone at 202-913-3171, or by email
at [email protected].
Technical: Ms. Gabrielle St. Pierre by telephone at 907-202-0029,
or by e-mail at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PHMSA received a special permit request from
Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC (NGPL), a subsidiary of
Kinder Morgan, Inc, on August 29, 2024 seeking to deviate from the
Federal pipeline safety regulations in 49 CFR 192.611 and 192.619, for
16 special permit segments (SPSs) which include 54,744 feet
(approximately 10.37 miles) of the NGPL natural gas transmission
pipeline system named Louisiana Line #2 located in Montgomery, Harris,
and Liberty counties, Texas.
Due to class location changes from Class 1 to Class 3 in 2007, NGPL
lowered the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) as required by
49 CFR 192.611, from 1,100 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) to 936
psig. However, NGPL now seeks to increase the pressure on the line to
restore the previous MAOP using 49 CFR 192.555.
NPGL has taken proactive measures in consultation with PHMSA to
assess integrity of the line and maintain pipeline and public safety
including:
In 2023, NGPL completed in-line inspection (ILI) of the
entire special permit inspection area with caliper, inertial
measurement unit, and magnetic flux leakage--axial (MFL-A). All MFL-A
and deformation ILI inspections were performed using high resolution
metal loss and slope deformation tools.
The SPSs and overall SPIA have been pressure tested to at
least 90 percent specified minimum yield strength (SMYS) and 1.25 times
MAOP as recently as 2024. Some portions were taken to a level of 1.39
times MAOP or 100 percent SMYS.
The draft conditions were preliminarily determined to ensure the
special permit is not inconsistent with pipeline safety. The requested
SPSs are as follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside
SPS No. County, state diameter Line name Length (feet) Year installed
(inches)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
694................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 1,480.84 1978
TX.
695................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 1,158.50 1978
TX.
696................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 495.70 1978
TX.
697................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 596.70 1978
TX.
698................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 925.90 1978
TX.
699................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 1,018.90 1978
TX.
700................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 1,692.90 1978
TX.
701................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 723.50 1978
TX.
702................... Montgomery County, 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 8,316.37 1978
TX.
711................... Harris and Liberty 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 6,946.22 1978
Counties, TX.
717................... Liberty County, TX. 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 2,703.20 1978
716................... Liberty County, TX. 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 7,570.28 1976
[[Page 16768]]
703................... Liberty County, TX. 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 9,318.67 1974
718................... Liberty County, TX. 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 1,300.17 1978
704................... Liberty County, TX. 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 4,143.38 1974
705................... Liberty County, TX. 30 Louisiana Line #2.. 6,352.75 1974
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The special permit request, draft proposed special permit with
conditions, and Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) for the above-
described NGPL pipeline segments are available for review and public
comment in Docket No. PHMSA-2025-0011. PHMSA invites interested persons
to review and submit comments in the docket on the special permit
request, draft proposed special permit with attachments, and DEA.
Please submit comments on any potential safety, environmental, and
other relevant considerations implicated by the special permit request.
Comments may include relevant data.
Before issuing a decision on the special permit request, 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 in making its decision
to grant or deny this special permit request.
Issued in Washington, DC, under authority delegated in 49 CFR
1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[FR Doc. 2025-06777 Filed 4-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P