Policy Development/Setting Minimum Safety Standards

PHMSA issued an Ethanol Federal Register Notice (August 2007) outlining biofuel pipelines regulatory jurisdiction - 49 CFR Part 195 - and critical role of pipelines in biofuels transportation; requested technical papers and R&D proposals on implementation challenges; and described PHMSA’s cooperative activities with emergency responders. Feedback was supportive of our collaborative strategy.
PHMSA is participating on many panels and boards to coordinate Federal strategy, including most notably the Biomass Research and Development Board, a multi-federal agency effort.
PHMSA participated in the National Commission on Energy Policy effort to develop possible future scenarios in ethanol production and distribution that can inform a set of strategic policymakers. This work focused on the distribution implications of a large increase in ethanol production, the technical, economic, and social issues associated with these volumes, and the policy and regulatory measures that might facilitate an efficient ethanol distribution network.
PHMSA issued a Federal Register Notice (June 2008) requesting that any hazardous liquid pipeline operator intending to transport ethanol, ethanol-gasoline blends, or other biofuels by pipeline voluntarily provide us with advance notice of their intent to transport these fuels to facilitate cooperation in achieving safety.