PHMSA Announces 2026 Pipeline Safety R&D Forum

Content

ACTION:

Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY:

This notice announces the 2026 Pipeline Safety Research and Development Forum (R&D Forum). PHMSA periodically holds this R&D
Forum to generate a national research agenda that identifies technical challenges and fosters solutions to improve pipeline
safety.

DATES:

The R&D Forum will be held March 31 through April 1, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On-site registration will begin at
7:00 a.m. on both days. Public input on research gaps may be submitted year-round through the R&D gap portal at the following
site: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/rd/gap-suggestions/. Online pre-registration for the R&D Forum opens on March 9, 2026, and will close on Thursday, March 26, 2026.

Individuals requiring accommodations, such as sign language interpretation or other ancillary aids for the R&D Forum, should
notify Andrea Ceartin by phone at 406-577-6818, or by email at andrea.ceartin@dot.gov, no later than March 20, 2026. For additional information, see the
ADDRESSES
section of this notice.

ADDRESSES:

The R&D Forum will be held in person in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The hotel reservation link, meeting agendas,
and instructions on how to attend will be published on the following public meeting registration pages: https://primis-meetings.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/ddb31d47-73da-48de-856b-fee8ee1fa7f5.

Presentations: Presentations will be available on the meeting website and on the E-Gov website, https://regulations.gov, at docket number PHMSA-2025-0017 no later than 30 days following the meeting.

Submitting Comments: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. PHMSA-2025-0017 (R&D Forum), by any of the following methods:

E-Gov Website: 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 (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

Hand Delivery: DOT Docket Management System: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001,
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Fax: 202-493-2251. The Docket Management Facility, DOT will not issue confirmation notices for faxed comments.

Instructions: Identify Docket No. PHMSA-2025-0017 at the beginning of your comments. If you submit your comments by mail, please submit
two copies. If you wish to receive confirmation that PHMSA received your comments, you must include a self-addressed stamped
postcard. Internet users may submit comments at: http://www.regulations.gov.

Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both customarily and treated as private
by its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments
in response to this notice contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that you actually
treat as private, and is relevant or responsive to this notice, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted comments
as CBI. Pursuant to 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 190.343, you may ask PHMSA to provide confidential treatment to information
you give the agency by taking the following steps: (1) mark each page of the original document submission containing CBI as
“Confidential”; (2) send PHMSA a copy of the original document with the CBI deleted along with the original, unaltered document;
and (3) explain why the information you are submitting is CBI. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Kandilarya Barakat,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, DOT: PHMSA—PHP-80, Washington, DC 20590-0001. Any comments PHMSA receives that are not specifically
designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket.

Privacy Act: DOT may solicit comments from the public regarding certain general notices. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including
any personal information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrea Ceartin, Engineering and Research Division, at 406-577-6818 or andrea.ceartin@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The mission of PHMSA is to advance the safe transportation of energy products and other hazardous materials that are essential
to our daily lives. The Pipeline Safety R&D Forum is held biennially to generate a national research agenda that addresses
challenges to improve pipeline safety. The R&D Forum also provides a venue for information exchange among key stakeholders,
including the pipeline industry, public, States, Tribal governments, other Federal agencies, and international colleagues.
The R&D Forum allows PHMSA to meet the congressional requirements in section 12, paragraph 2 of the Pipeline Safety Improvement
Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-355).

Public Participation: The R&D Forum will be open to the public. Members of the public who wish to attend must register on the meeting website(s),
including their names and organizational affiliation. PHMSA is committed to providing all participants with equal access to
these meetings. If you need disability accommodations for the R&D Forum, please contact Andrea Ceartin by email at andrea.ceartin@dot.gov.

PHMSA is not always able to publish a notice in the
Federal Register
quickly enough to provide timely notification of last-minute changes that impact scheduled meetings. Therefore, individuals
should check the meeting website listed in the
ADDRESSES
section of this notice or contact Andrea Ceartin by phone at 406-577-6818 or via email at andrea.ceartin@dot.gov regarding any possible changes to the R&D Forum.

PHMSA invites public participation on the pipeline safety topics to be addressed during the R&D Forum. Please review the SUBMITTING
COMMENTS section of this notice for information on how to submit written comments.

Issued in Washington, DC, under authority delegated in 49 Code of Federal Regulations § 1.97.

Linda Daugherty, Acting Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety. [FR Doc. 2026-04785 Filed 3-11-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-60-P

Download File

Download