WSR 16-17-144
PERMANENT RULES
DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY
[Order 15-13—Filed August 24, 2016, 8:46 a.m., effective October 1, 2016]
Effective Date of Rule: October 1, 2016.
Purpose: The Washington state department of ecology is adopting a new rule, chapter 173-185 WAC, Oil movement by rail and pipeline notification. Chapter 173-185 WAC creates reporting standards for facilities that receive crude oil by rail, and pipelines that transport crude oil through the state. Additionally, the rule identifies reporting standards for ecology to share information with emergency responders, local governments, tribes, and the public.
Notification of oil movement will provide emergency responders with essential information they can use to better prepare for and respond to incidents. The information provided will identify the volume and type of crude oil scheduled for transport through the state. Emergency responders can use the information to plan response strategies, equipment selection, and staffing levels.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 90.56.565.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 16-08-118 on April 6, 2016.
Changes Other than Editing from Proposed to Adopted Version:
The final rule language includes an update to the definition of "Transmission pipeline" in WAC 173-185-050(12) in response to public comment.
The word "pipeline" was changed to "transmission pipeline" to clarify which type of pipeline was subject to the rule.
The phrase "in or through" was included in WAC 173-185-080(1) to clarify that crude oil that is delivered in Washington state or transits through the state in transmission pipelines is subject to the biannual notice requirements in the rule.
"If known" was removed from WAC 173-185-100 (2)(a) in response to public comment and to bring the reporting requirement into alignment with RCW 90.56.565(3).
RCW 90.48.120 was added to WAC 173-185-040 to clarify the process ecology will use to issue notices of a determination that a violation has or will occur.
A final cost-benefit analysis is available by contacting Jase Brooks, Department of Ecology Spills Program, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone (360) 407-7625, fax (360) 407-7288, e-mail Jase.Brooks@ecy.wa.gov.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 11, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: August 24, 2016.
Maia D. Bellon
Director
Chapter  173-185  WAC
OIL MOVEMENT BY RAIL AND PIPELINE NOTIFICATION
PART A
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-010 Applicability.
This chapter applies to owners and operators of:
(1) Facilities that receive crude oil by railroad car in the state; and
(2) Transmission pipelines that transport crude oil through the state.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-020 Purpose.
The purpose of this chapter is to enhance oil transportation safety in Washington and protect public safety and the environment by establishing notification requirements and procedures that inform emergency response agencies and the public of all crude oil shipments to facilities by rail and crude oil transport by transmission pipelines in the state. This chapter establishes:
(1) Advance notice requirements for facilities that receive crude oil by railroad car.
(2) Biannual notice requirements for transmission pipelines that transport crude oil.
(3) Disclosure procedures for ecology to:
(a) Provide nonaggregated information collected under this chapter to the state emergency management division and any county, city, tribal, port, and local government emergency response agency to help these agencies effectively prepare for and respond to oil spills and other accidents.
(b) Provide aggregated information collected under this chapter to inform the public about the nature of crude oil movement through their communities.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-030 Compliance schedule.
(1) Facilities.
(a) Owners and operators of facilities in operation at the time this chapter is adopted must meet the advance notice requirements in WAC 173-185-070 on the effective date of this chapter.
(b) Owners and operators of new facilities must meet the advance notice requirements in WAC 173-185-070 immediately upon beginning operations in the state.
(2) Transmission pipelines.
(a) Owners and operators of transmission pipelines in operation at the time this chapter is adopted must meet the biannual notice requirements in WAC 173-185-080 on the effective date of this chapter and submit their first biannual notice by January 31, 2017.
(b) Owners and operators of new transmission pipelines must meet the biannual notice requirements in WAC 173-185-080 immediately upon beginning operations in the state.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-040 Enforcement and penalties.
Any violation of this chapter may be subject to enforcement and penalties under RCW 90.48.120, 90.48.140, and 90.48.144.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-050 Definitions.
(1) "Bulk" means material that is stored or transported in a loose, unpackaged liquid, powder, or granular form capable of being conveyed by a pipe, bucket, chute, or belt system.
(2) "Crude oil" means any naturally occurring hydrocarbons coming from the earth that are liquid at twenty-five degrees Celsius and one atmosphere of pressure including, but not limited to, crude oil, bitumen and diluted bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and natural gas well condensate.
(3) "Ecology" means the state of Washington department of ecology.
(4)(a) "Facility" means any structure, group of structures, equipment, pipeline, or device, other than a vessel, located on or near the navigable waters of the state that transfers oil in bulk to or from a tank vessel or pipeline, that is used for producing, storing, handling, transferring, processing, or transporting oil in bulk.
(b) For the purposes of oil spill contingency planning in RCW 90.56.210, facility also means a railroad that is not owned by the state that transports oil as bulk cargo.
(c) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a facility does not include any:
(i) Railroad car, motor vehicle, or other rolling stock while transporting oil over the highways or rail lines of this state;
(ii) Underground storage tank regulated by ecology or a local government under chapter 90.76 RCW;
(iii) Motor vehicle motor fuel outlet;
(iv) Facility that is operated as part of an exempt agricultural activity as provided in RCW 82.04.330; or
(v) Marine fuel outlet that does not dispense more than three thousand gallons of fuel to a ship that is not a covered vessel, in a single transaction.
(5) "Navigable waters of the state" means those waters of the state, and their adjoining shorelines, that are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide and/or are presently used, have been used in the past, or may be susceptible for use to transport intrastate, interstate, or foreign commerce.
(6) "Oil" or "oils" means oil of any kind that is liquid at twenty-five degrees Celsius and one atmosphere of pressure and any fractionation thereof including, but not limited to, crude oil, bitumen, synthetic crude oil, natural gas well condensate, petroleum, gasoline, fuel oil, diesel oil, biological oils and blends, oil sludge, oil refuse, and oil mixed with wastes other than dredged spoil. Oil does not include any substance listed in Table 302.4 of 40 C.F.R. Part 302, adopted August 14, 1989, under Section 102(a) of the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended by P.L. 99-499.
(7)(a) "Owner" or "operator" means (i) in the case of a vessel, any person owning, operating, or chartering by demise, the vessel; (ii) in the case of an onshore or offshore facility, any person owning or operating the facility; and (iii) in the case of an abandoned vessel or onshore or offshore facility, the person who owned or operated the vessel or facility immediately before its abandonment.
(b) "Operator" does not include any person who owns the land underlying a facility if the person is not involved in the operations of the facility.
(8) "Person" means any political subdivision, government agency, municipality, industry, public or private corporation, copartnership, association, firm, individual, ship, or any other entity whatsoever.
(9) "Ship" means any boat, ship, vessel, barge, or other floating craft of any kind.
(10) "Spill" means an unauthorized discharge of oil which enters waters of the state.
(11) "State" means the state of Washington.
(12) "Transmission pipeline" means all parts of a pipeline whether interstate or intrastate, through which oil moves in transportation, including line pipes, valves, and other appurtenances connected to line pipe, pumping units, and fabricated assemblies associated with pumping units, metering and delivery stations and fabricated assemblies therein, and breakout tanks.
(13) "Waters of the state" includes lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, inland waters, underground water, salt waters, estuaries, tidal flats, beaches and land adjoining the seacoast of the state, sewers, and all other surface waters and watercourses within the jurisdiction of the state of Washington.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-060 Severability.
If any provision of this chapter is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter is not affected.
PART B
FACILITIES
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-070 Advance noticeFacility requirements.
(1) Owners and operators of a facility that will receive crude oil from a railroad car must provide ecology with advance notice of all scheduled crude oil deliveries to be received by the facility as provided in this section. Notification may be made by the facility owner or operator's designee.
(2) The advance notice must contain the following information:
(a) Name, address, contact person, and telephone number of the facility;
(b) Region of origin of crude oil as stated, or as expected to be stated, on the bill of lading;
(c) Railroad route taken to the facility within the state, if known;
(d) Scheduled time, which means date, and volume of the scheduled delivery;
(e) Gravity, as measured by the most recently approved standards developed by the American Petroleum Institute or, if unavailable at the time of reporting, expected gravity of crude oil scheduled to be delivered.
(3)(a) Advance notice must be provided to ecology each week for all arrivals of railroad cars carrying crude oil scheduled for the succeeding seven-day period.
(b) All newly scheduled arrivals of railroad cars carrying crude oil after the advance notice time frame under (a) of this subsection must be reported to ecology as soon as possible and before the shipment enters the state. If the shipment is already in the state, the scheduled arrival must be reported when the information is known to the facility.
(4) Notification must be submitted via internet web site established by ecology.
PART C
PIPELINES
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-080 Biannual noticePipeline requirements.
(1) Owners and operators of a transmission pipeline that transports crude oil in or through the state must provide ecology biannual notice of all crude oil transported by the transmission pipeline in or through the state. Notification may be made by the transmission pipeline owner or operator's designee.
(2) The notice must contain the following information:
(a) Company name, address, contact person, and telephone number of the pipeline;
(b) Volume of crude oil by each listed state or province of origin of the crude oil.
(3)(a) Notification must be submitted to ecology each year by July 31st for the period January 1st through June 30th and by January 31st for the period July 1st through December 31st.
(b) Notification must be submitted by e-mail to ecology.
PART D
DISCLOSURES AND NONDISCLOSURES
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-090 DisclosuresEmergency management division and county, city, tribal, port, and local government emergency response agencies.
Ecology will share the advance notice information collected from facilities under this chapter with the state emergency management division and any county, city, tribal, port, or local government emergency response agency upon request. Requests to access this information must be submitted to ecology by e-mail.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-100 DisclosuresThe public.
Ecology will disclose information collected under this chapter by publishing it on a quarterly basis on ecology's web site.
(1) Ecology will publish the following crude oil movement information:
(a) Mode of transport (i.e., railroad car or pipeline);
(b) Place of origin by region for facilities and by state or province for transmission pipelines;
(c) Number and volume of reported spills during transport and delivery;
(d) Estimated number of railroad cars delivering crude oil; and
(e) Reported volume of crude oil received by facilities and crude oil transported by transmission pipelines in or through the state.
(2) With respect to information on oil movement to facilities provided by this section, ecology will aggregate information on a statewide basis by:
(a) Route;
(b) Week; and
(c) Type of crude oil.
NEW SECTION
WAC 173-185-110 Nondisclosure.
Pursuant to RCW 42.56.270(23) and 90.56.565(5), ecology and any state, local, tribal, or public agency that receives information provided under this chapter may not disclose any such information to the public or to nongovernmental entities that contains proprietary, commercial, or financial information unless that information is aggregated. The requirement for aggregating information does not apply when information is shared by ecology with emergency response agencies as provided in WAC 178-185-090.