Title 49
SECTION 190.237
190.237 Emergency orders: Petitions for review.
§ 190.237 Emergency orders: Petitions for review.(a) Requirements. A pipeline owner or operator that is subject to and aggrieved by an emergency order may petition the Administrator for review to determine whether the order will remain in place, be modified, or be terminated. A petition for review must:
(1) Be in writing;
(2) State with particularity each part of the emergency order that is sought to be modified or terminated and include all information, evidence and arguments in support thereof;
(3) State whether the petitioner requests a formal hearing in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 554, and, if so, any material facts in dispute; and,
(4) Be filed and served in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section.
(b) Modification of petitions. A petitioner may modify its petition for review to provide new information that materially affects the review proceeding and that is timely submitted. Where the petitioner has not requested a formal hearing, the Associate Administrator will make the determination whether to accept the new information. Where a case has been assigned for a formal hearing, the presiding administrative law judge will determine whether to accept the new information.
(c) Response to the petition for review. An attorney designated by the Office of Chief Counsel may file and serve, in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section, a response to the petition, including appropriate pleadings, within five calendar days of receipt of the petition by the Chief Counsel.
(d) Associate Administrator's responsibilities. - (1) Formal hearing requested. Upon receipt of a petition for review that includes a formal hearing request under this section, the Associate Administrator will, within three days after receipt of the petition, assign the petition to the Office of Hearings, DOT, for a formal hearing.
(2) No formal hearing requested. Upon receipt of a petition for review that does not include a formal hearing request, the Associate Administrator will issue an administrative decision on the merits within 30 days of receipt of the petition for review. The Associate Administrator's decision constitutes the agency's final decision.
(3) Consolidation. If the Associate Administrator receives more than one petition for review and they share common issues of law or fact, the Associate Administrator may consolidate the petitions for the purpose of complying with this section, provided such consolidation occurs prior to the commencement of a formal hearing. The Associate Administrator may reassign a petition that does not request a formal hearing to the Office of Hearings, DOT, provided the petition otherwise meets the requirements for consolidation. If the Associate Administrator has consolidated multiple petitions that do not request a formal hearing, he may de-consolidate such petitions if there has been a change in circumstances that, in his discretion, warrant separation for the purpose of rendering a final decision.
(e) Formal Hearings. Formal hearings must be conducted by an administrative law judge assigned by the chief administrative law judge of the Office of Hearings, DOT. The administrative law judge may:
(1) Administer oaths and affirmations;
(2) Issue subpoenas as provided by the appropriate statutes and agency regulations (e.g., 49 U.S.C. 60117 and 49 CFR 190.7);
(3) Adopt the relevant Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for the United States District Courts for the procedures governing the hearings, when appropriate;
(4) Adopt the relevant Federal Rules of Evidence for United States Courts and Magistrates for the submission of evidence, when appropriate;
(5) Take or cause depositions to be taken;
(6) Examine witnesses at the hearing;
(7) Rule on offers of proof and receive relevant evidence;
(8) Convene, recess, adjourn or otherwise regulate the course of the hearing;
(9) Hold conferences for settlement, simplification of the issues, or any other proper purpose; and
(10) Take any other action authorized by or consistent with the provisions of this part and permitted by law that may expedite the hearing or aid in the disposition of an issue raised.
(f) Parties. The petitioner may appear and be heard in person or by an authorized representative. PHMSA will be represented by an attorney designated by the Office of Chief Counsel.
(g) Burden of proof. Except in the case of an affirmative defense, PHMSA shall bear the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, the validity of an emergency order in a proceeding under this section by a preponderance of the evidence. A party asserting an affirmative defense shall bear the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, the affirmative defense in a proceeding under this section.
(h) Filing and service. (1) Each petition, pleading, motion, notice, order, or other document submitted in connection with an emergency order issued under this section must be filed (commercially delivered or submitted electronically) with: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. All documents filed will be published on the Department's docket management website, http://www.regulations.gov. The emergency order must state the above filing requirements and the address of DOT Docket Operations.
(2) Each document filed in accordance with paragraph (h)(1) of this section must be concurrently served upon the following persons:
(i) Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety, OPS, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, East Building, Washington, DC 20590;
(ii) Chief Counsel, PHC, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, East Building, Washington, DC 20590 (facsimile: 202-366-7041); and
(iii) If the petition for review requests a formal hearing, the Chief Administrative Law Judge, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Hearings, 1200 New Jersey Ave SE, c/o Mail Center (E11-310), Washington, DC 20590 (facsimile: 202-366-7536).
(3) Service must be made in accordance with § 190.5 of this part. The emergency order must state all relevant service requirements and list the persons to be served and may be updated as necessary.
(4) Certificate of service. Each order, pleading, motion, notice, or other document must be accompanied by a certificate of service specifying the manner in which and the date on which service was made.
(5) If applicable, service upon a person's duly authorized representative, agent for service, or an organization's president or chief executive officer constitutes service upon that person.
(i) Report and recommendation. The administrative law judge must issue a report and recommendation to the Associate Administrator at the close of the record. The report and recommendation must:
(1) Contain findings of fact and conclusions of law and the grounds for the decision, based on the material issues of fact or law presented on the record;
(2) Be served on the parties to the proceeding; and
(3) Be issued no later than 25 days after receipt of the petition for review by the Associate Administrator.
(j) Petition for reconsideration. (1) A petitioner aggrieved by the administrative law judge's report and recommendation may file a petition for reconsideration with the Associate Administrator. The petition for reconsideration must be filed:
(i) Not more than five days after the administrative law judge has issued a report and recommendation under paragraph (i) of this section, provided such report and recommendation is issued 20 days or less after the petition for review was filed with PHMSA; or
(ii) Not more than two days after the administrative law judge has issued his or her report and recommendation under paragraph (h) of this section, where such report and recommendation are issued more than 20 days after the petition for review was filed with PHMSA.
(2) The Associate Administrator must issue a decision on a petition for reconsideration no later than 30 days after receipt of the petition for review. Such decision constitutes final agency action on a petition for review.
(k) Judicial review. (1) After the issuance of a final agency decision pursuant to paragraphs (d)(2) or (j)(2) of this section, or the issuance of a written determination by the Administrator pursuant to paragraph (l) of this section, a pipeline owner or operator subject to and aggrieved by an emergency order issued under § 190.236 may seek judicial review of the order in the appropriate district court of the United States. The filing of an action seeking judicial review does not stay or modify the force and effect of the agency's final decision under paragraphs (d)(2) or (j)(3) of this section, or the written determination under paragraph (l) of this section, unless stayed or modified by the Administrator.
(l) Expiration of order. (1) No petition for review filed: If no petition for review is filed challenging the emergency order, then the emergency order shall remain in effect until PHMSA determines, in writing, that the imminent hazard no longer exists or the order is terminated by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(2) Petition for review filed and decision rendered within 30 days. If the Associate Administrator renders a final decision upon a petition for review within 30 days of its receipt by PHMSA, any elements of the emergency order upheld or modified by the decision shall remain in effect until PHMSA determines, in writing, that the imminent hazard no longer exists or the order is terminated by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(3) Petition for review filed but no decision rendered within 30 days. If the Associate Administrator has not reached a decision on the petition for review within 30 days of receipt of the petition for review, the emergency order will cease to be effective unless the Administrator determines, in writing, that the imminent hazard providing a basis for the emergency order continues to exist.
(m) Time. In computing any period of time prescribed by this section or an order or report and recommendation issued by an administrative law judge under this section, the day of filing of a petition for review or of any other act, event or default from which the designated period of time begins to run will not be included. The last day of the period so computed will be included, unless it is a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, in which event the period runs until end of the next day which is not one of the aforementioned days.
[Amdt. 190-21, 84 FR 52027, Oct. 1, 2019]