Changeflow GovPing Government & Legislation PHMSA Proposes Rule on Pipeline RMV Operational...
Priority review Consultation Added Consultation

PHMSA Proposes Rule on Pipeline RMV Operational Timelines

Email

Summary

PHMSA published a proposed rule on April 24, 2026, seeking to establish or modify timeframes for pipeline operators to make Remote Manual Valves (RMVs) operational. The rule affects operators of gas and hazardous liquid pipelines regulated under 49 CFR 192 and 49 CFR 195. The agency is accepting public comments for 60 days, with the comment period closing on June 23, 2026, via Regulations.gov under Docket No. PHMSA-2026-1553.

“This document has a comment period that ends in 60 days. (06/23/2026)”

Why this matters

Pipeline operators subject to 49 CFR 192 (gas) and 49 CFR 195 (hazardous liquids) should assess their current RMV operational status against the proposed timelines during the comment period. Where proposed timeframes may present operational or resource challenges, operators should prepare technical comments documenting specific constraints before the June 23, 2026 deadline.

AI-drafted from the source document, validated against GovPing's analyst note standards . For the primary regulatory language, read the source document .
Published by Transportation Department on federalregister.gov . Detected, standardized, and enriched by GovPing. Review our methodology and editorial standards .

About this source

GovPing monitors US Federal Register — Documents (All) for new government & legislation regulatory changes. Every update since tracking began is archived, classified, and available as free RSS or email alerts — 5 changes logged to date.

What changed

PHMSA has published a proposed rule that would establish new or modified timeframes within which pipeline operators must make Remote Manual Valves (RMVs) operational. The proposal targets operators of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines subject to 49 CFR 192 and 49 CFR 195 respectively.\n\nAffected pipeline operators should review the proposed requirements during the 60-day comment period and prepare submissions addressing feasibility, implementation costs, and technical considerations. Operators who may not currently meet proposed timelines should document their operational constraints and potential alternative compliance approaches to support their comments to PHMSA.

Archived snapshot

Apr 24, 2026

GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.

Legal Status This site displays a prototype of a “Web 2.0” version of the daily
Federal Register. It is not an official legal edition of the Federal
Register, and does not replace the official print version or the official
electronic version on GPO’s govinfo.gov.

The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal
Register documents. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the
corresponding official PDF file on govinfo.gov. This prototype edition of the
daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov will remain an unofficial
informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal
Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status.
For complete information about, and access to, our official publications
and services, go to About the Federal Register on NARA's archives.gov.

The OFR/GPO partnership is committed to presenting accurate and reliable
regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of
establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned
publication in the future. While every effort has been made to ensure that
the material on FederalRegister.gov is accurately displayed, consistent with
the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for
legal research should verify their results against an official edition of
the Federal Register. Until the ACFR grants it official status, the XML
rendition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov does not
provide legal notice to the public or judicial notice to the courts.

Legal Status

Proposed Rule

Pipeline Safety: Timeframe To Make RMVs Operational

A Proposed Rule by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on 04/24/2026

  • 1.

1.
This document has a comment period that ends in 60 days.
(06/23/2026) Submit a public comment

Thank you for taking the time to create a comment. Your input is important.

Once you have filled in the required fields below you can preview and/or submit your comment to the Transportation Department for review. All comments are considered public and will be posted online once the Transportation Department has reviewed them.

You can view or you may also comment via Regulations.gov at https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/PHMSA-2026-1553-0002.

It appears that you have attempted to comment on this document before
so we've restored your progress.
.
1.
2. Comment * What is your comment about? Upload File(s) Note: You can attach your comment as a file and/or attach supporting
documents to your comment. Attachment Requirements.

Email this will NOT be posted on regulations.gov

Opt to receive email confirmation of submission and tracking number? Tell us about yourself! I am... * An Individual An Organization Anonymous First Name * Last Name * City Region State Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Zip Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Réunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Organization Type * Company Organization Federal State Local Tribal Regional Foreign U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Senate Organization Name * You are filing a document into an official docket. Any personal
information included in your comment text and/or uploaded
attachment(s)
may be publicly viewable on the web. I read and understand the statement above.

  1. Please review the Regulations.gov privacy notice and user notice.
  2. Document Details Published Content - Document Details Agencies Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Agency/Docket Number Docket No. PHMSA-2026-1553 CFR 49 CFR 192 49 CFR 195 Document Citation 91 FR 22111 Document Number 2026-08076 Document Type Proposed Rule Pages 22111-22115 (5 pages) Publication Date 04/24/2026 RIN 2137-AG57 Published Content - Document Details

Enhanced Content - Public Comments
- Regulations.gov Data Enhanced Content - Regulations.gov Data

FederalRegister.gov retrieves relevant information about this document
from Regulations.gov to provide users with additional context. This
information is not part of the official Federal Register document.

Pipeline Safety: Timeframe to Make RMVs Operational

Comment Due Date 06/23/2026 Docket ID PHMSA-2026-1553 Supporting Documents PRIA: Pipeline Safety: Timeframe to Make RMVs Operation Enhanced Content - Regulations.gov Data

- Sharing Enhanced Content - Sharing Shorter Document URL https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-08076 Email Email this document to a friend Enhanced Content - Sharing

  • Print Enhanced Content - Print
    • Enhanced Content - Print
  • Other Formats Enhanced Content - Other Formats This document is also available in the following formats:

JSON Normalized attributes and metadata XML Original full text XML MODS Government Publishing Office metadata More information and documentation can be found in our developer tools pages.

Enhanced Content - Other Formats
- Public Inspection Public Inspection This PDF is FR Doc. 2026-08076 as it appeared on Public Inspection on
04/23/2026 at 8:45 am.

It was viewed
31
times while on Public Inspection.

If you are using public inspection listings for legal research, you
should verify the contents of the documents against a final, official
edition of the Federal Register. Only official editions of the
Federal Register provide legal notice of publication to the public and judicial notice
to the courts under 44 U.S.C. 1503 & 1507.
Learn more here.

Public Inspection
Published Document: 2026-08076 (91 FR 22111) This document has been published in the Federal Register. Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format.

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain
the following:

  1. the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document
  2. the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to
  3. the agency docket number / agency internal file number
  4. the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details.
Department of Transportation
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
  1. 49 CFR Parts 192 and 195
  2. [Docket No. PHMSA-2026-1553]
  3. RIN 2137-AG57

AGENCY:

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

PHMSA proposes to amend the required timeframes for making rupture-mitigation valves and alternative equivalent technology operational on gas transmission, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipelines.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before June 23, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by the Docket Number PHMSA-2026-1553 using any of the following methods:

E-Gov Web: https://www.regulations.gov. This site allows the public to enter comments on any Federal Register notice issued by any agency. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.

Mail: Docket Management System: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

Hand Delivery: U.S. DOT Docket Management System: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Fax: 1-202-493-2251.

For commenting instructions and additional information about commenting, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brooks Tate, Transportation Specialist, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, 202-744-0825, brooks.tate@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Discussion

Through this NPRM, PHMSA is proposing to revise requirements in 49 CFR 192.634(a) and 195.418(a) for making rupture-mitigation valves (RMV) and alternative equivalent technologies operational from 14 days to 90 days. Section 192.634(a) currently requires gas transmission pipeline operators to make “RMVs or alternative equivalent technologies . . . operational within 14 days of placing the new or replaced pipeline segment into service.” Section 195.418(a) similarly requires hazardous liquid and carbon dioxide pipeline operators to make RMVs or alternative equivalent technologies operational within the same 14-day deadline.

In response to DOT's request for information (90 FR 14593 (Apr. 3, 2025)), the American Gas Association ( printed page 22112) (AGA) and American Public Gas Association (APGA) asked PHMSA to update § 192.634(a) by increasing the timeframe required by the current regulation, claiming the 14-day timeline is “disproportionately burdensome to operators relative to the safety value.” ] PHMSA agrees with AGA and APGA that the current 14-day timeframe can be challenging for operators to meet, especially considering extenuating circumstances related to inclement weather and operational challenges synchronizing these valves in a supervisory control and data acquisition system. PHMSA also notes that, though natural gas pipeline operators requested this change to be made specifically for the Part 192 regulations, hazardous liquid pipeline operators regulated under Part 195 face similar challenges of issues during construction or project management.

Operators may require more time to verify operation of these appurtenances due to construction issues, the procurement and installation of telemetry equipment, adverse weather, and other potential issues. PHMSA expects, however, that most operators will complete this requirement sooner than 90 days. For these reasons, PHMSA is proposing to revise §§ 192.634(a) and 195.418(a) to increase the timeframe for making RMVs or alternative equivalent technologies operational from 14 to 90 days. PHMSA believes that a 90-day timeframe is appropriate for the reasons stated above and consistent with other deadlines in Parts 192 and 195.

Commenting Instructions: Please include the docket number PHMSA-2026-1553 at the beginning of your comments. If you submit your comments by mail, submit two copies. If you wish to receive confirmation that PHMSA received your comments, include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Internet users may submit comments at https://www.regulations.gov.

Note:

Comments are posted without changes or edits to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. There is a privacy statement published on https://www.regulations.gov.

Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to https://www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at https://www.dot.gov/​privacy.

Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure. It is important that you clearly designate the comments submitted as CBI if: your comments responsive to this document contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private; you actually treat such information as private; and your comment is relevant or responsive to this notice. Pursuant to 49 CFR 190.343, you may ask PHMSA to provide confidential treatment to information you give to the agency by taking the following steps: (1) mark each page of the original document submission containing CBI as “Confidential;” (2) send PHMSA, along with the original document, a second copy of the original document with the CBI deleted; and (3) explain why the information that you are submitting is CBI. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Brooks Tate, Office of Pipeline Safety Standards and Rulemaking Division, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 2nd Floor, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001, or by email at brooks.tate@dot.gov. Any materials PHMSA receives that is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket.

Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for accessing the docket. Alternatively, you may review the documents in person at the street address listed above.

II. Regulatory Analysis and Notices

A. Legal Authority

This proposed rule is published under the authority of the Secretary of Transportation set forth in the Federal Pipeline Safety Laws (49 U.S.C. § 60101 et seq.) and delegated to the PHMSA Administrator pursuant to 49 CFR 1.97.

B. Statutory Requirement and Executive Order 12866

The Pipeline Safety Laws (49 U.S.C. 60102(b)) require that PHMSA prepare a risk assessment that identifies the costs and benefits associated with a proposed regulatory change. E.O. 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, as implemented by DOT Order 2100.6B (“Policies and Procedures for Rulemaking”) and DOT Order 2100.7 (“Ensuring Reliance upon Sound Economic Analysis in Department of Transportation Policies, Programs, and Activities”), requires agencies to regulate in the “most cost-effective manner,” to make a “reasoned determination that the benefits of the intended regulation justify its costs,” and to develop regulations that “impose the least burden on society.” In arriving at those conclusions, E.O. 12866 requires that agencies should consider “both quantifiable measures . . . and qualitative measures of costs and benefits that are difficult to quantify” and “maximize net benefits . . . unless a statute requires another regulatory approach.” E.O. 12866 also requires that “agencies should assess all costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives, including the alternative of not regulating.” DOT Order 2100.6B directs that PHMSA and other Operating Administrations must generally choose the “least costly regulatory alternative that achieves the relevant objectives” unless required by law or compelling safety need. DOT Order 2100.6B also specifies that regulations should generally “not be issued unless their benefits are expected to exceed their costs” unless required by law or compelling safety need. DOT Order 2100.7 requires that “all rulemaking activities shall be based on sound economic principles and analysis supported by rigorous cost-benefit requirements.”

E.O. 12866 and DOT Order 2100.6B also require that PHMSA submit “significant regulatory actions” to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the Executive Office of the President's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. This proposed rule is a not significant regulatory action pursuant to E.O. 12866; OMB also has not designated this rule as a “major rule” as defined by the Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.).

PHMSA has complied with the procedural and analytical requirements in E.O. 12866 as implemented by DOT Order 2100.6B and DOT Order 2100.7, as well as the requirements in 49 U.S.C. 60102(b), and preliminarily determined that this proposed rule will result in some cost savings by reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty for natural gas and hazardous liquid facility operators by revising disproportionately burdensome compliance timelines. The ( printed page 22113) accompanying Preliminary Regulatory Impact Analysis provides detailed estimates of the cost savings to operators of the increased timeframe for making RMVs operational. PHMSA estimates that the changes in the proposed rule would result in cost savings of $20,877 annually. PHMSA expects these cost savings may also result in reduced costs for the public to whom pipeline operators generally transfer a portion of their compliance costs. PHMSA has also preliminarily determined that the proposed rule will not have adverse effects on safety.

C. Executive Orders 14192 and 14219

This proposed rule, if finalized as proposed, is expected to be a deregulatory action pursuant to E.O. 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. PHMSA estimates that the total costs of the proposed rule on the regulated community will be less than zero. Nor does this rulemaking implicate any of the factors identified in section 2(a) of E.O. 14219, Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's “Department of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative, indicative that a regulation is “unlawful . . . [or] that undermine[s] the national interest.”

D. Energy-Related Executive Orders 13211, 14154, and 14156

The President has declared in E.O. 14156, Declaring a National Energy Emergency, a national emergency to address America's inadequate energy development production, transportation, refining, and generation capacity. Similarly, E.O. 14154, Unleashing American Energy, asserts a Federal policy to unleash American energy by ensuing access to abundant supplies of reliable, affordable energy from (inter alia) the removal of “undue burden[s]” on the identification, development, or use of domestic energy resources such as PHMSA-jurisdictional gases and hazardous liquids. PHMSA preliminarily finds this proposed rule is consistent with each of E.O. 14156 and E.O. 14154. The proposed rule will give affected pipeline operators relief from unnecessarily stringent compliance timeframes. PHMSA therefore expects the regulatory amendments in this proposed rule will in turn increase national pipeline transportation capacity and improve pipeline operators' ability to provide abundant, reliable, affordable natural gas and hazardous liquid in response to residential, commercial, and industrial demand.

However, this proposed rule is not a “significant energy action” under E.O. 13211, Actions Concerning Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use, which requires Federal agencies to prepare a Statement of Energy Effects for any “significant energy action.” Because this proposed rule is not a significant action under E.O. 12866, it will not have a significant adverse effect on supply, distribution, or energy use.

E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism

PHMSA analyzed this proposed rule in accordance with the principles and criteria contained in E.O. 13132, Federalism, and the Presidential Memorandum (“Preemption”) published in the Federal Register on May 22, 2009. E.O. 13132 requires agencies to assure meaningful and timely input by State and local officials in the development of regulatory policies that may have “substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between the National Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.”

While the proposed rule may (when finalized) operate to preempt some State requirements, it would not impose any regulation that has substantial direct effects on the States, the relationship between the National Government and the States, or the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. Section 60104(c) of the Federal Pipeline Safety Laws prohibits certain State safety regulation of interstate pipelines. Under the Federal Pipeline Safety Laws, States that have submitted a current certification under section 60105(a) can augment Federal pipeline safety requirements for intrastate pipelines regulated by PHMSA but may not approve safety requirements less stringent than those required by Federal law. A State may also regulate an intrastate pipeline facility that PHMSA does not regulate. The preemptive effect of the regulatory amendments in this proposed rule is limited to the minimum level necessary to achieve the objectives of the Federal Pipeline Safety Laws. Therefore, the consultation and funding requirements of E.O. 13132 do not apply.

F. Regulatory Flexibility Act

The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) requires Federal agencies to conduct an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) for a proposed rule subject to notice-and-comment rulemaking unless the agency head certifies that the proposed rule in the rulemaking will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. E.O. 13272, Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking, obliges agencies to establish procedures promoting compliance with the RFA. DOT posts its implementing guidance on a dedicated web page. ] This proposed rule was developed in accordance with E.O. 13272 and DOT implementing guidance to ensure compliance with the RFA. The proposed rule is expected to reduce regulatory burdens by extending compliance timelines and reducing notification requirements for operators making rupture-mitigation valves operational. The changes proposed here are not expected to impose additional burdens on any operator. Therefore, PHMSA certifies the proposed rule (if finalized) will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities.

G. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA, 2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) requires agencies to assess the effects of Federal regulatory actions on State, local, and Tribal governments, and the private sector. For any proposed or final rule that includes a Federal mandate that may result in the expenditure by State, local, and Tribal governments, in the aggregate of $100 million or more in 1996 dollars ($203 million in 2024 dollars) in any given year, the agency must prepare, amongst other things, a written statement that qualitatively and quantitatively assesses the costs and benefits of the Federal mandate.

This proposed rule does not impose unfunded mandates under UMRA. PHMSA does not expect the proposed rule will result in costs of $100 million or more (in 1996 dollars) per year for either State, local, or Tribal governments, or to the private sector.

H. National Environmental Policy Act

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) requires that Federal agencies assess and consider the impact of major Federal actions on the human and natural environment.

PHMSA analyzed this proposed rule in accordance with NEPA and issues this draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) because it has preliminarily determined that the rulemaking will not adversely affect safety and therefore will not significantly affect the quality of the human and natural environment. As ( printed page 22114) discussed above, industry stakeholders noted that the current 14-day timeline for RMV operability is impracticable; the extended timeline—which PHMSA expects most operators will satisfy well in advance of the 90-day deadline—accounts for the real-world challenges of integrating complex, safety-critical equipment into a pipeline's operations. The public is invited to comment on the impact of the proposed action.

I. Executive Order 13175

PHMSA analyzed this proposed rule according to the principles and criteria in E.O. 13175, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments, and DOT Order 5301.1A (“Department of Transportation Tribal Consultation Policies and Procedures”). E.O. 13175 requires agencies to assure meaningful and timely input from Tribal government representatives in the development of rules that significantly or uniquely affect Tribal communities by imposing “substantial direct compliance costs” or “substantial direct effects” on such communities or the relationship or distribution of power between the Federal Government and Tribes.

PHMSA assessed the impact of the proposed rule and determined that it will not significantly or uniquely affect Tribal communities or Indian Tribal governments. The rulemaking's regulatory amendments have a broad, national scope; therefore, this proposed rule will not significantly or uniquely affect Tribal communities, much less impose substantial compliance costs on Native American Tribal governments or mandate Tribal action. For these reasons, PHMSA has concluded that the funding and consultation requirements of E.O. 13175 and DOT Order 5301.1A do not apply.

J. Paperwork Reduction Act

The Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 5 CFR 1320.8(d) requires that PHMSA provide interested members of the public and affected agencies with an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping requests. Section 192.634 and 195.418 require operators to notify PHMSA to request an extension if a rupture-mitigation valve or alternative equivalent technology cannot be made operational within 14 days of installation. PHMSA proposes to revise §§ 192.634(a) and 195.418(a) to increase this timeframe from 14 to 90 days resulting in a 90 percent decrease in the number of requests to extend the operational deadline. The burden estimate for this information collection will be revised to reflect this decrease.

PHMSA will submit the following information collection request to OMB for approval based on the adjustments in this proposed rule. These information collection requirements are contained in the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations at 49 CFR parts 192 and 195. The following information is provided for this information collection: (1) Title of the information collection; (2) OMB control number; (3) Current expiration date; (4) Type of request; (5) Abstract of the information collection activity; (6) Description of affected public; (7) Estimate of total annual reporting and recordkeeping burden; and (8) Frequency of collection. The information collection will be revised as follows:

Title: Rupture Mitigation Valve Notification Requirements.

OMB Control Number: 2137-0638.

Current Expiration Date: 11/30/2025.

Type of Request: Revision.

Abstract: 49 CFR 192.634 and 49 CFR 195.418 require operators who elect to use alternative equivalent technology to notify the Office of Pipeline Safety at least 90 days in advance of use. An operator choosing this option must include a technical and safety evaluation, including design, construction, and operating procedures for the alternative equivalent technology with the notification.

Operators must notify PHMSA if a rupture-mitigation valve cannot be made operational within 90 days of installation. Operators must also notify PHMSA if a valve cannot be repaired or replaced within 12 months.

An operator may seek exemption from certain regulatory requirements by notifying PHMSA in certain instances. An operator may plan to leave a rupture-mitigation valve open for more than 30 minutes following a rupture identification if the operator demonstrates to PHMSA, that closing a rupture mitigation valve, or alternative equivalent technology, would be detrimental to public safety. Likewise, for hazardous liquid pipeline segments in a non-high consequence area (HCA) or a non-HCA could-affect segment, an operator may request exemption from certain requirements if it can demonstrate to PHMSA that installing an otherwise-required rupture-mitigation valve, or alternative equivalent technology, would be economically, technically, or operationally infeasible.

Affected Public: Operators of PHMSA-regulated pipelines.

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:

Estimated number of responses: 435.

Estimated annual burden hours: 2,215.

Frequency of collection: On occasion.

Requests for copies of this information collection should be directed to Angela Hill at angela.hill@dot.gov.

Comments are invited on:

(a) The need for the proposed collection of information for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(b) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the revised collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques.

Send comments directly to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: Desk Officer for the Department of Transportation, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503. Comments should be submitted on or prior to June 23, 2026.

K. Executive Order 13609 and International Trade Analysis

E.O. 13609, Promoting International Regulatory Cooperation, requires agencies to consider whether the impacts associated with significant variations between domestic and international regulatory approaches are unnecessary or may impair the ability of American business to export and to compete internationally. In meeting shared challenges involving health, safety, labor, security, environmental, and other issues, international regulatory cooperation can identify approaches that are at least as protective as those that are or would be adopted in the absence of such cooperation. International regulatory cooperation can also reduce, eliminate, or prevent unnecessary differences in regulatory requirements.

Similarly, the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (Pub. L. 96-39), as amended by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (Pub. L. 103-465), prohibits Federal agencies from establishing any standards or engaging in related activities that create unnecessary obstacles to the foreign commerce of the United States. For purposes of these requirements, Federal agencies may ( printed page 22115) participate in the establishment of international standards, so long as the standards have a legitimate domestic objective, such as providing for safety, and do not operate to exclude imports that meet this objective. The statute also requires consideration of international standards and, where appropriate, that they be the basis for U.S. standards.

PHMSA engages with international standards setting bodies to protect the safety of the American public. PHMSA has assessed the effects of the proposed rule and has determined that its proposed regulatory amendments will not cause unnecessary obstacles to foreign trade.

L. Cybersecurity and Executive Order 14028

E.O. 14028, Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity, directs the Federal Government to improve its efforts to identify, to deter, and to respond to “persistent and increasingly sophisticated malicious cyber campaigns.” PHMSA has considered the effects of the proposed rule and has determined that its proposed regulatory amendments would not materially affect the cybersecurity risk profile for pipeline facilities.

List of Subjects

49 CFR Part 192

  • Gas
  • Natural gas
  • Pipeline safety

49 CFR Part 195

  • Anhydrous ammonia
  • Carbon dioxide
  • Petroleum
  • Pipeline safety For the reasons set forth above, PHMSA proposes to amend 49 CFR parts 192 and 195 as follows:

PART 192—TRANSPORTATION OF NATURAL AND OTHER GAS BY PIPELINE: MINIMUM FEDERAL SAFETY STANDARDS

  1. The authority citation for 49 CFR Part 192 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 30 U.S.C. 185(w)(3), 49 U.S.C. 5103, 60101 et seq., and 49 CFR 1.97.

  1. In § 192.634, revise paragraph (a) to read as follows:

Transmission lines: Onshore valve shut-off for rupture mitigation. (a) Applicability. For new or entirely replaced onshore transmission pipeline segments with diameters of 6 inches or greater that are located in high-consequence areas (HCA) or Class 3 or Class 4 locations and that are installed after April 10, 2023, an operator must install or use existing rupture-mitigation valves (RMV), or an alternative equivalent technology, according to the requirements of this section and §§ 192.179 and 192.636. RMVs and alternative equivalent technologies must be operational within 90 days of placing the new or replaced pipeline segment into service. An operator may request an extension of this 90-day operation requirement if it can demonstrate to PHMSA, in accordance with the notification procedures in § 192.18, that application of that requirement would be economically, technically, or operationally infeasible. The requirements of this section apply to all applicable pipe replacement projects, even those that do not otherwise involve the addition or replacement of a valve. This section does not apply to pipe segments in Class 1 or Class 2 locations that have a potential impact radius (PIR), as defined in § 192.903, that is less than or equal to 150 feet.


PART 195—TRANSPORTATION OF HAZARDOUS LIQUIDS BY PIPELINE

  1. The authority citation for Part 195 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 30 U.S.C. 185(w)(3), 49 U.S.C. 5103, 60101 et seq., and 49 CFR 1.97.

  1. In § 195.418, revise paragraph (a) to read as follows:

Valves: Onshore valve shut-off for rupture mitigation. (a) Applicability. For newly constructed and entirely replaced onshore hazardous liquid or carbon dioxide pipeline segments, as defined at § 195.2, with diameters of 6 inches or greater that could affect high-consequence areas or are located in high consequence areas (HCA), and that have been installed after April 10, 2023, an operator must install or use existing rupture-mitigation valves (RMV), as defined at § 195.2, or alternative equivalent technologies according to the requirements of this section and § 195.419. RMVs and alternative equivalent technologies must be operational within 90 days of placing the new or replaced pipeline segment in service. An operator may request an extension of this 90-day operation requirement if it can demonstrate to PHMSA, in accordance with the notification procedures in § 195.18, that application of that requirement would be economically, technically, or operationally infeasible. The requirements of this section apply to all applicable pipe replacements, even those that do not otherwise directly involve the addition or replacement of a valve.

  • * * * * Issued in Washington, DC, on April 22, 2026, under the authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.97.

Paul J. Roberti,

Administrator.

Footnotes

1.

 AGA and APGA, “Comments on Ensuring Lawful Regulation; Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs” (May 5, 2025), https://www.regulations.gov/​comment/​DOT-OST-2025-0026-0897.

2.

 DOT, Rulemaking Requirements Concerning Small Entities, https://www.transportation.gov/​regulations/​rulemaking-requirements-concerning-small-entities.

[FR Doc. 2026-08076 Filed 4-23-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-60-P

Published Document: 2026-08076 (91 FR 22111)

CFR references

49 CFR 192 49 CFR 195

Get daily alerts for US Federal Register — Documents (All)

Daily digest delivered to your inbox.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime.

About this page

What is GovPing?

Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission

What's from the agency?

Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from Transportation Department.

What's AI-generated?

The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.

Last updated

Classification

Agency
Transportation Department
Comment period closes
June 23rd, 2026 (60 days)
Compliance deadline
June 23rd, 2026 (60 days)
Instrument
Consultation
Branch
Executive
Legal weight
Non-binding
Stage
Consultation
Change scope
Substantive
Document ID
91 FR 22111 / Docket No. PHMSA-2026-1553
Docket
Docket No. PHMSA-2026-1553

Who this affects

Applies to
Energy companies
Industry sector
2111 Oil & Gas Extraction
Activity scope
Pipeline safety RMV compliance timelines
Geographic scope
United States US

Taxonomy

Primary area
Transportation
Operational domain
Compliance
Topics
Energy Environmental Protection Carbon dioxide Natural gas Petroleum

Get alerts for this source

We'll email you when US Federal Register — Documents (All) publishes new changes.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime.

You're subscribed!