Action
Grant of waiver.
Summary
PHMSA is granting Rockies Express Pipeline, L.L.C. (Rockies Express) a waiver of compliance from the pipeline safety regulation that prescribes the design factor to be used in the design formula for steel pipe. This waiver allows the Rockies Express pipeline to operate at hoop stresses up to 80 percent of the specified minimum yield strength (SMYS) in Class 1 locations. The waiver also grants Rockies Express relief from equipment requirements for pressure relieving and limiting stations. Before granting the waiver, PHMSA performed a thorough technical review of Rockies Express's application and supporting documents. PHMSA requested and received supplementary information pertaining to numerous technical aspects of its metallurgy, pipeline design, and engineering practices. These materials are available in the docket PHMSA-2006-23998 at http://dms.dot.gov. PHMSA also sought comments from the public and received positive feedback from the impacted States along the pipeline and the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee. The waiver is subject to and conditional upon supplemental safety criteria set forth in this notice. The supplemental safety criteria address the life cycle management of the subject pipeline and require Rockies Express to adhere to maintenance, inspection, monitoring, control, and reporting standards exceeding existing regulatory requirements.