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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Pipeline Safety: Safety of Underground Natural Gas Storage Facilities; Petition for Reconsideration

Notice.

On January 18, 2017, PHMSA received a petition for reconsideration of its interim final rule (IFR), "Safety of Underground Natural Gas Storage Facilities." This Notice informs the petitioners and other interested persons that PHMSA intends to address the issues raised by the petitioners in a final rule, which it expects to issue by January of 2018. In the interim, and for one year after the publication of a final rule, PHMSA will not issue any enforcement citations to operators for failure to meet any provisions that are non- mandatory in an American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practices (RPs) RP 1170 and RP 1171 but that were converted to mandatory provisions by the IFR. Despite this stay of enforcement, PHMSA still reserves the right to exercise its other authorities, if necessary, to address any emergencies that present an imminent hazard or specific conditions that are or would be hazardous to life, property, or the environment. This Notice also informs operators of the availability of further guidance on implementation to help operators develop assessment schedules and carry out compliance programs.

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