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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 16 January 2017 - 11:54 PM

World Pipelines, 1/16:
 

PHMSA: “ANPRM will gather information regarding the safety of crude transportation”

 

On Tuesday 10 January 2017, US Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, signed an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM). The ANPRM was issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), which will seek contributions from government, industry and the public on a range of questions associated with establishing a vapour pressure threshold for unrefined petroleum products (e.g. crude oil) in transportation to inform the evaluation of the potential safety benefits of utilising vapour pressure threshold(s) within the hazardous materials classification process. The ANPRM was sent to the federal register on Wednesday 11 January and the full text of the ANPRM can be found on PHMSA’s website.

 

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#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 16 January 2017 - 11:57 PM

PHMSA news release:

 

Thursday, January 12, 2017
 

PHMSA to Seeks Information on Crude Oil Volatility through ANPRM

 

 

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, January 10, 2017, Secretary Anthony Foxx of the U.S., Anthony Foxx signed an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, that will seek contributions from government, industry, and the public on a range of questions associated with establishing a vapor pressure threshold for unrefined petroleum products (e.g., crude oil) in transportation to inform the evaluation of the potential safety benefits of utilizing vapor pressure threshold(s) within the hazardous materials classification process. The ANPRM was sent to the federal register on Wednesday, January 11th, and the full text of the ANPRM can be found on PHMSA’s website.

 

"Nationwide, Americans are experiencing the movement of energy products in new ways and looking to government to safeguard their communities and neighborhoods," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "Improving crude oil transportation safety by rail and other modes is a top priority for the Department of Transportation and this ANPRM is an important first step in that undertaking."

 

The USDOT has taken more than 30 actions over the past two years to improve crude-by-rail safety, including issuing a comprehensive rulemaking package in May 2015 to improve tank car durability, braking and the safe transportation of energy products, and issuing multiple safety advisories and emergency orders.

 

"The American energy landscape is constantly evolving and we need to understand the full scope of safety risks involved with moving energy products in new ways," said PHMSA Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez. "This ANPRM will gather information from our modal, state, and local partners, as well as industry and the public, to further inform effective regulation regarding the safety of crude oil transportation."

 

The Department is also continuing its collaborative work with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories on a study to better understand the characteristics of crude oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota, to determine the best sampling and testing methods for this type of crude, and to better understand how vapor pressure impacts transportation safety. The long term findings of this study will continue to inform PHMSA’s rulemaking considerations.

 

The comment period for the ANPRM will open upon publication in the federal register and will last for 60 days from the date of publication.

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#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 18 January 2017 - 05:41 PM

The National Law Review:
 

PHMSA Announces Proposed Plans to Potentially Revise the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) Volatility of Crude Oil

 
Wednesday, January 18, 2017

 

 

Today, PHMSA released an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM), announcing that it is considering revising the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to establish vapor pressure limits for the transportation of crude oil and potentially all Class 3 flammable liquid hazardous materials. The ANPRM is in response to a petition for rulemaking from the New York Attorney General that requested PHMSA establish a nationwide vapor pressure standard for the transportation of crude oil by rail. Going beyond the scope of the NY AG’s petition, the ANPRM asks stakeholders whether any future standards should apply not just to rail, but to all modes of transportation, including truck or cargo-ship shipments. PHMSA’s expanded ANPRM presents numerous questions to industry stakeholders and sets forth a 60-day comment period, ending on March 20, 2017.

 

The NY AG’s petition is in response to derailments of railcars carrying crude oil from the Bakken shale play in North Dakota that have resulted in explosions. The NY AG alleges that Bakken crude is highly volatile and extremely flammable and that current standards do not adequately mitigate that risk. Therefore, the NY AG’s petition requests that PHMSA undertake a rulemaking to limit vapor pressure of crude oil transported by rail to 9.0 psi, a move the NY AG contends will reduce the risk of death or damage from fire or explosion during an accident. The NY AG’s petition, however, fails to take into consideration a recent study that concluded that Bakken crude is a light, sweet crude with low corrosivity that can actually be transported safely using DOT-111 tank cars and in accordance with existing federal regulations.

 

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