The Materials Transportation Bureau (MTB) is considering amending 5192.- 313(a) (4) of the Federal gas pipeline safety standards and § 195.212 (b) (3) of the Federal liquid pipeline safety standards to except bends made with an internal bending mandrel from the requirement that for field bends of steel pipe containing a longitudinal weld, the weld must be as near as practicable to the neutral axis of the bend. This notice is based, In part, on a petition dated October 18, 1975, by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (Alyeska) (Pet. 76-11W) requesting that the pipe bending requirement of 49 CPR 195.-- 212(e) (now 5 195.212(b) (3)) be re- pealed and, in the interim, that Alyeska be granted a waiver from compliance with the requirement with respect to the Trans-Alaska crude oil pipeline. In its petition, Alyeska alleged that placing the longitudinal seam near the neutral axis during bending Is unnecessary for the quality or Integrity of a pipeline. In response to Alyeska's request, ZLTB sought additional information from Alyeska to show why the bending requirement Is not necessary as alleged. In addition, in connection with a separate rulemaking proceeding on pipe bending,