50 CFR § 29.21-9 - Rights-of-way for pipelines for the transportation of oil, natural gas, synthetic liquid or gaseous fuels, or any refined product produced therefrom.
(a) Application procedure. Applications for pipelines and related facilities under this section are to be filed in accordance with § 29.21–2 of these regulations with the following exception:
When the right-of-way or proposed facility will occupy Federal land under the control of more than one Federal Agency and/or more than one bureau or office of the Department of the Interior, a single application shall be filed with the appropriate State Director of the Bureau of Land Management in accordance with regulations in 43 CFR part 2800.
Any portion of the facility occupying land of the National Wildlife Refuge System will be subject to the provisions of these regulations.
(b) Right-of-way grants under this section will be subject to the special requirements of section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 185), as amended, as set forth below. Gathering lines and associated structures used solely in the production of oil and gas under valid leases on the lands administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service are excepted from the provisions of this section.
(1) Pipeline safety. Rights-of-way or permits granted under this section will include requirements that will protect the safety of workers and protect the public from sudden ruptures and slow degradation of the pipeline. An applicant must agree to design, construct, and operate all proposed facilities in accordance with the provisions of parts 192 and/or 195 of title 49 of the CFR and in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Pub. L. 91–596, including any amendments thereto.
(2) Environmental protection. An application for a right-of-way must contain environmental information required by § 29.21–2(a)(4) of this subpart. If the Regional Director determines that a proposed project will have a significant affect on the environment, there must also be furnished a plan of construction, operations, and rehabilitation of the proposed facilities. In addition to terms and conditions imposed under § 29.21–4, the Regional director will impose such stipulations as may be required to assure: (i) Restoration, revegetation and curtailment of erosion of the surface; (ii) that activities in connection with the right-of-way or permit will not violate applicable air and water quality standards in related facilities siting standards established by law; (iii) control or prevention of damage to the environment including damage to fish and wildlife habitat, public or private property, and public health and safety; and (iv) protection of the interests of individuals living in the general area of the right-of-way or permit who rely on the fish, wildlife, and biotic resources of the area for subsistence purposes.
(c) Disclosure. If the applicant is a partnership, corporation, association, or other business entity it must disclose the identity of the participants in the entity. Such disclosure shall include where applicable (1) the name and address of each partner, (2) the name and address of each shareholder owning 3 percentum or more of the shares, together with the number and percentage of any class of voting shares of the entity which such shareholder is authorized to vote, and (3) the name and address of each affiliate of the entity together with, in the case of an affiliate controlled by the entity, the number of shares and the percentage of any class of voting stock of that affiliate owned, directly or indirectly, by that entity, and in the case of an affiliate which controls that entity, the number of shares and the percentage of any class of voting stock of that entity owned, directly or indirectly, by the affiliate.
(d) Technical and financial capability. The Regional Director may grant or renew a right-of-way or permit under this section only when he is satisfied that the applicant has the technical and financial capability to construct, operate, maintain and terminate the facility. At the discretion of the Regional Director, a financial statement may be required.
(e) Reimbursement of costs. In accordance with § 29.21–2(a)(3) of this subpart, the holder of a right-of-way or permit must reimburse the Service for the cost incurred in monitoring the construction, operation, maintenance, and termination of any pipeline or related facilities as determined by the Regional Director.
(f) Public hearing. The Regional Director shall give notice to Federal, State, and local government agencies, and the public, and afford them the opportunity to comment on right-of-way applications under this section. A notice will be published in the Federal Register and a public hearing may be held where appropriate.
(g) Bonding. Where appropriate the Regional Director may require the holder of a right-of-way or permit to furnish a bond, or other security satisfactory to him, to secure all or any of the obligations imposed by the terms and conditions of the right-of-way or permit or by any rule or regulation, not to exceed the period of construction plus one year or a longer period if necessary for the pipeline to stabilize.
(h) Suspension of right-of-way. If the Project Manager determines that an immediate temporary suspension of activities within a right-of-way or permit area is necessary to protect public health and safety or the environment, he may issue an emergency suspension order to abate such activities prior to an administrative proceeding. The Regional Director must make a determination and notify the holder in writing within 15 days from the date of suspension as to whether the suspension should continue and list actions needed to terminate the suspension. Such suspension shall remain in effect for only so long as an emergency condition continues.
(i) Joint use of rights-of-way. Each right-of-way or permit shall reserve to the Regional Director the right to grant additional rights-of-way or permits for compatible uses on or adjacent to rights-of-way or permit areas granted under this section after giving notice to the holder and an opportunity to comment.
(j) Common carriers.
(1) Pipelines and related facilities used for the transportation of oil, natural gas, synthetic liquid or gaseous fuels, or any refined product produced therefrom shall be constructed, operated, and maintained as common carriers.
(2)
(i) The owners or operators of pipelines subject to this subpart shall accept, convey, transport, or purchase without discrimination all oil or gas delivered to the pipeline without regard to whether such oil or gas was produced on Federal or non-Federal lands.
(ii) In the case of oil or gas produced from Federal lands or from the resources on the Federal lands in the vicinity of the pipelines, the Secretary may, after a full hearing with due notice thereof to the interested parties and a proper finding of facts, determine the proportionate amounts to be accepted, conveyed, transported or purchased.
(3)
(i) The common carrier provisions of this section shall not apply to any natural gas pipeline operated by any person subject to regulation under the Natural Gas Act or by any public utility subject to regulation by a State or municipal regulatory agency having jurisdiction to regulate the rates and charges for the sale of natural gas to consumers within the State or municipality.
(ii) Where natural gas not subject to state regulatory or conservation laws governing its purchase by pipelines is offered for sale, each such pipeline shall purchase, without discrimination, any such natural gas produced in the vicinity of the pipeline.
(4) The Regional Director shall require, prior to granting or renewing a right-of-way, that the applicant submit and disclose all plans, contracts, agreements, or other information or material which he deems necessary to determine whether a right-of-way shall be granted or renewed and the terms and conditions which should be included in the right-of-way. Such information may include, but is not limited to: (i) Conditions for, and agreements among owners or operators, regarding the addition of pumping facilities, looping, or otherwise increasing the pipeline or terminal's throughput capacity in response to actual or anticipated increases in demand; (ii) conditions for adding or abandoning intake, offtake, or storage points or facilities; and (iii) minimum shipment or purchase tenders.
(k) Limitations on export. Any domestically produced crude oil transported by pipeline over rights-of-way granted pursuant to section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, except such crude oil which is either exchanged in similar quantity for convenience or increased efficiency of transportation with persons or the government of an adjacent foreign state, or which is temporarily exported for convenience or increased efficiency of transportation across parts of an adjacent foreign state and reenters the United States, shall be subject to all of the limitation and licensing requirements of the Export Administration Act of 1969.
(l) State standards. The Regional Director shall take into consideration, and to the extent practical comply with, applicable State standards for right-of-way construction, operation, and maintenance.
(m) Congressional notification. The Secretary shall promptly notify the Committee on Natural Resources of the United States House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate upon receipt of an application for a right-of-way for pipeline 24 inches or more in diameter, and no right-of-way for such a pipeline shall be granted until 60 days (not including days on which the House or Senate has adjourned for more than three days) after a notice of intention to grant the right-of-way, together with the Secretary's detailed findings as to the terms and conditions he proposes to impose, has been submitted to such committees.