PHMSA announced that it will extend the comment period on its proposed gas rule by only 30 days, with comments due on or before July 7, 2016.  Due to the scope and complexity of the proposal, numerous parties requested a 60 day extension of the comment period.  In granting the 30 day extension, PHMSA noted that the proposal was made available to the public 3 weeks before its publication.  That said, the Agency has still not posted information necessary to fully respond to the proposed rules in the rulemaking docket, such as the Agency’s class location report which is still under internal review within the Department of Transportation.

In addition to granting an extension for comments, the Agency committed to holding public webinars and briefings on the rule at two upcoming advisory committee meetings.  The Spring 2016 Technical Advisory Committee meetings have not yet been officially scheduled, but they are anticipated to occur in May or June.  Advance notice of the meeting date and additional specifics will be published in the Federal Register 15 days prior to the meeting.

The proposed rule would significantly expand regulations regarding transmission and gathering pipelines under 49 C.F.R. Parts 191 and 192.  These proposals include:  reporting requirements for all gathering pipelines regardless of whether they are regulated, routine testing and repair requirements outside of high consequence areas, material documentation and MAOP verification requirements, among others.

The extension of the comment will be formalized in a forthcoming Federal Register notice.