Temporary Closure of the Dockets Unit

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Notice No. 96-13]

Temporary Closure of the Dockets Unit

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the temporary closure of RSPA's Dockets

Unit, which contains hazardous materials and pipeline safety rulemaking

and other dockets. Provision, however, is being made for public access

to dockets in which comment periods are open or were recently closed

and other dockets of current interest to the public. This closure is

due to a cleaning project of the entire Nassif Building. RSPA expects

its Dockets Unit to be closed for approximately three weeks starting

August 12, 1996.

DATES: August 12, 1996 to September 3, 1996 (estimated).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For hazardous materials dockets, Ms.

J. Suzanne Hedgepeth, Director, Office of Hazardous Materials

Exemptions and Approvals, (202) 366-4535; Office of Hazardous Materials

Safety, RSPA, Department of Transportation, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

For pipeline safety dockets, Richard D. Huriaux, Director, Office of

Technology and Standards, (202) 366-4565; Office of Pipeline Safety,

RSPA, Department of Transportation, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RSPA's Dockets Unit is located on the eighth

floor of the Nassif Building, 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC. In

an effort to improve the indoor air quality in the Nassif Building, the

U.S. Department of Transportation and the building's owner have

initiated a major cleaning project. This project entails a thorough

cleaning of the building on a floor-by-floor basis. During the cleaning

of each floor, the floor will be closed to employees and visitors. It

is estimated that the cleaning of each floor will take approximately

three weeks. During this three-week period, the offices on each floor

will be closed and the affected employees will be relocated to another

building. Once the cleaning of a floor is complete, employees and

visitors may return to that floor. Cleaning of the Nassif Building's

eighth floor is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 12, 1996. As a

result, RSPA's Dockets Unit is scheduled to be closed for approximately

three weeks.

Due to the massive volume of documents in the Dockets Unit and the

short time period involved, RSPA has decided not to relocate the entire

Dockets Unit. RSPA recognizes that this closure will present an

inconvenience to the public. Although the public will be prevented from

viewing most dockets during the cleaning project on the eighth floor,

the public can still submit written comments on a particular rulemaking

or exemption application by mailing comments to the Dockets Unit,

Research and Special Programs Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Room 8421, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, D.C.

20590-0001.

RSPA is taking steps to reduce the public inconvenience. It will

provide public access to those rulemakings dockets in which the comment

period will be open during, and those in which the comment will have

closed just prior to, the closure of the Dockets Unit. Each of those

dockets will be available for public review in an alternate location in

the Nassif Building from August 12, 1996, until the Dockets Unit is

reopened.

The hazardous materials dockets available to the public will be

located in Room 5414A of the Nassif Building. These will include HM-

181H (Performance Oriented Packaging Standards), HM-200 (Intrastate

Transportation of Hazardous Materials), HM-223 (Applicability of the

Hazardous Materials Regulations to Loading, Unloading and Storage), HM-

224 (Temporary Prohibition of Oxygen Generators in Air Commerce) and

any new docket opened before the reopening of the Dockets Unit.

The pipeline safety dockets available to the public will be located

in Room 2335 of the Nassif Building. These will include PS-94

(Qualification of Pipeline Personnel), PS-118 (Excess Flow Valve

Performance Standard), PS-118A (Excess Flow Valves--Customer

Notification), PS-121 (Pressure Testing of Older Hazardous Liquid

Pipelines), PS-140(e) (Areas Unusually Sensitive to Environmental

Damage), PS-144 (Risk-Based Alternatives to Pressure Testing Rule), P-

96-8W (CNG Transmission; Petition for Waiver), and any new docket

opened before the reopening of the Dockets Unit.

Requests for the availability of any other dockets during this

period should immediately be made to the contact persons listed above.

The public may view these dockets between the hours of 8:30 a.m.

and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday except Federal holidays.

Issued in Washington, DC on July 19, 1996.

Alan I. Roberts,

Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.

[FR Doc. 96-18951 Filed 7-24-96; 8:45 am]

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