Pipeline Safety: Editorial Change To Reflect the Name Change of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION <SUBAGY>Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration</SUBAGY> <CFR>49 CFR Parts 191, 192, and 195</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. PHMSA-2025-0034; Amdt. Nos. 191-34; 192-139; 195-108]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 2137-AF72</RIN> <SUBJECT>Pipeline Safety: Editorial Change To Reflect the Name Change of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Department of Transportation (DOT). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> As directed by the Executive order of January 20, 2025, “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness,” PHMSA is amending its regulations to change the name of the body of water known previously as the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.” </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This rule is effective May 20, 2025. </EFFDATE> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Alyssa Imam, Transportation Specialist, by phone at 202-738-3850 or by email at <E T="03">alyssa.imam@dot.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Executive Summary</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. Background and Justification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Summary of Amendments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IV. Regulatory Analyses and Notices</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Statutory/Legal Authority for Rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Executive Order 14219: Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Executive Order 13132: Federalism</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Regulatory Flexibility Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Paperwork Reduction Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. National Environmental Policy Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">J. Executive Order 13211: Significant Energy Actions</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">K. Executive Order 13609: International Trade Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">L. Privacy Act Statement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">M. Regulation Identifier Number (RIN)</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Executive Summary</HD> This final rule amends the Pipeline Safety Regulations (PSR) in 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 186 through 199 to replace the phrase “Gulf of Mexico” with “Gulf of America” in response to Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.” This nomenclature change imposes no new or revised requirements for regulated entities. <HD SOURCE="HD1">II. Background</HD> On January 20, 2025, the President signed Executive Order (E.O.) 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.”  <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> Among other actions, this Executive Order required the Secretary of the Interior to “take all appropriate actions to rename as the `Gulf of America' the U.S. Continental Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the State of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba in the area formerly named as the Gulf of Mexico.” <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>  “Executive Order 14172: Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” 90 FR 8629 (Jan. 20, 2025). </FTNT> On February 7, 2025, the Secretary of the Interior signed Secretary's Order 3423, “The Gulf of America.”  <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> In Order 3423, the Secretary of the Interior directed the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) to rename immediately the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The BGN complied with the Secretary of the Interior's directive shortly thereafter. <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  Secretary of the Interior, “Secretary's Order 3423: The Gulf of America” (Feb. 7, 2025). </FTNT> Consistent with E.O. 14172, PHMSA is amending its PSR in 49 CFR parts 186 through 199 to replace the phrase “Gulf of Mexico” with “Gulf of America.” These amendments are consistent with the actions taken by BGN and other Federal agencies. <E T="03">See, e.g.,</E> the Gulf of America Renaming final rule posted by the United States Coast Guard on March 17, 2025. <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>  Coast Guard, “Final Rule: Gulf of America Renaming,” 90 FR 12235 (Mar. 17, 2025). </FTNT> PHMSA finds that this final rule contains conforming amendments involving agency practice that are exempt from the notice and comment rulemaking requirements in 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A). PHMSA also finds good cause exists under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) for forgoing notice and comment because this final rule imposes no substantive changes on the public's rights or obligations and will be inconsequential in impact. This is a conforming amendment to align our regulations with the current name of the Gulf. Therefore, notice and comment are unnecessary. For the same reasons, PHMSA finds good cause exists under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to make the rule effective fewer than 30 days after publication in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> . Delaying the effective date of the rule is unnecessary because updating the name used in the PSR to identify the body of water is inconsequential to the public and the name has already been adopted by Executive Order and by the Department of Interior. <HD SOURCE="HD1">III. Summary of Amendments</HD> PHMSA is amending the PSR in 49 CFR parts 186 through 199 to reflect the name change for the Gulf of America. This amendment is an editorial change in nomenclature that has no effect on the scope of Federal PSR and requires no action by operators to comply. The Gulf of America includes any waters identified as the Gulf of Mexico in legacy statutes, regulations, plans, or procedures, as applicable. PHMSA does not require operators to update plans, procedures, maps, or other materials that reference the Gulf of Mexico to implement this final rule; however, operators should consider appropriate updates during periodic review of such materials. <HD SOURCE="HD1">IV. Regulatory Analyses and Notices</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD2">A. Statutory/Legal Authority for Rulemaking</HD> This final rule is published under the authority of the Secretary of Transportation delegated to the PHMSA Administrator pursuant to 49 CFR 1.97. Among the statutory authorities delegated to PHMSA are those set forth in the Federal Pipeline Safety Statutes (49 U.S.C. 60101 <E T="03">et seq.</E> ) (authorizing, inter alia, issuance of regulations governing design, installation, inspection, emergency plans and procedures, testing, construction, extension, operation, replacement, and maintenance of pipeline facilities) and section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act, as amended (30 U.S.C. 185(w)(3)). For a complete listing of authorities, <E T="03">see</E> 49 CFR 1.97. <HD SOURCE="HD2">B. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory Planning and Review</HD> This final rule is not a significant regulatory action under E.O. 12866 (“Regulatory Planning and Review”)  <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> and DOT Order 2100.6B (“Rulemaking and Guidance Procedures”) and, therefore, was not subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget. In this final rule, PHMSA is revising the nomenclature for referring to the Gulf of America. This action is not intended to result in any costs or benefits. <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>  58 FR 51753 (Oct. 4, 1993). </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD2">C. Executive Order 14192: Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation</HD> This final rule is not a deregulatory action pursuant to E.O. 14192 (“Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation”) because it does not have total costs less than zero. This final rule is not an E.O. 14192 regulatory action because it is neither a significant regulatory action as defined in Section 3(f) of E.O. 12866, nor does it impose costs greater than zero. Therefore, this final rule does not implicate the requirement to repeal or revise at least 10 existing regulations for each regulation issued. <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>  90 FR 9065 (Feb. 6, 2025); Office of Management and Budget, Memorandum M-25-20 (Mar. 26, 2025), <E T="03">available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/M-25-20-Guidance-Implementing-Section-3-of-Executive-Order-14192-Titled-Unleashing-Prosperity-Through-Deregulation.pdf.</E> </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD2">D. Regulatory Flexibility Act</HD> Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 <E T="03">et seq.</E> ), PHMSA must consider whether rulemaking actions would have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. This final rule imposes no new obligations on pipeline operators or anyone else. PHMSA concludes this rule does not have a significant economic impact on any small entity. Based on the facts available about the expected impact of this rulemaking, PHMSA certifies, under section 605 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 605) that this rulemaking will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. <HD SOURCE="HD2">E. Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments</HD> PHMSA has analyzed this direct final rule according to E.O. 13175 (“Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments”)  <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> and DOT Order 5301.1A (“Department of Transportation Tribal Consultation Policies and Procedures”). Because this final rule does not significantly or uniquely affect the communities of the Indian tribal governments or impose substantial direct compliance costs, the funding and consultation requirements of E.O. 13175 do not apply. <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>  65 FR 67249 (Nov. 6, 2000). </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD2">F. 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