Action
Notice of intent to consider waiver and environmental assessment of waiver.
Summary
The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) is conducting a Risk Management Demonstration Program with pipeline operators to determine how risk management might be used to complement and improve the existing Federal pipeline safety regulatory process. OPS selected Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TGP) as a candidate for participation in the Demonstration Program; subsequently, OPS and TGP held discussions as part of a consultation process. During the consultation, TGP identified a portion of its system where it believed performing alternative risk control activities in lieu of compliance with current regulations would result in a comparable margin of safety and environmental protection. TGP submitted an application to OPS to waive certain regulatory requirements relating to class location changes for four pipeline segments. TGP's application stated that TGP would carry out the proposed alternative risk control activities in lieu of compliance with these regulations. This Notice announces OPS's intent to consider granting a waiver to allow TGP to perform the proposed alternative risk control activities. OPS has reviewed the terms of this waiver and found them to be appropriate. Among the terms of the waiver that were crucial to OPS's decision to consider granting the waiver were TGP's selection as a candidate for the Risk Management Demonstration Program and TGP's subsequent participation in a consultation process with OPS. In addition, OPS has found that the overall effect of the waiver is not inconsistent with pipeline safety, because TGP's proposed Activities achieve a margin of safety and environmental protection comparable to the margin achieved by compliance with current regulations. Within 90 days of OPS's adoption of new rules related to integrity management of natural gas pipelines \1\, TGP will be required to re-evaluate the effects of its proposed alternative risk control activities and report to OPS on whether the terms of the waiver continue to be appropriate and whether the overall effect of the waiver remains consistent with pipeline safety. This Notice also provides an environmental assessment of TGP's Activities. Based on this environmental assessment, OPS has preliminarily concluded that this waiver will have no significant environmental impacts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------