Industry & Regulatory Updates

PHMSA Notices
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77 FR 37472 (Jun 21, 2012)
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SUMMARY: This notice is to advise interested and affected persons that PHMSA will conduct a public workshop to discuss Section 24 of the recently passed Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 (Act) and PHMSA’s implementation challenges with Section 24. Section 24 of the Act requires, within one year of enactment (January 2013), that PHMSA no longer incorporate, in whole or in part, voluntary consensus standards by reference into its regulations unless those standards have been made available free of charge to the public on the Internet. The workshop will provide interested persons with an opportunity to submit written and oral comments and participate in discussions concerning the legal, financial, policy, practical and other challenges with implementing Section 24 by January 2013. DATES: The public workshop will be held on July 13, 2012.

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77 FR 36606 (Jun 19, 2012)
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SUMMARY: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives are hosting a Government/Industry Pipeline Research and Development (R&D) Forum. The R&D Forums are held periodically to generate a National research agenda that will foster solutions for the many challenges with pipeline safety and with protecting the environment. The forum allows public, government and industry pipeline stakeholders to discuss the technical gaps and challenges for future research. The forum is also intended to help reduce duplication of programs, factor ongoing research efforts, leverage resources and broaden synergies. The national research agenda coming out of these events is aligned with the needs of the pipeline safety mission, makes use of the best available knowledge and expertise, and considers stakeholder perspectives. DATES: The R&D Forum will be held July 18, 2012.