Pub. L. 113-76, div. D, tit. II (as amended)

203.(a)Use of Technical Memorandum.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, until such time as the pipeline reliability study identified in the joint explanatory statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, (Public Law 112-74) is completed and any necessary changes are made to Technical Memorandum 8140-CC-2004-1 (Corrosion Considerations for Buried Metallic Water Pipe) in accordance with subsection (c)—(1)The Bureau of Reclamation shall not use the Technical Memorandum as the sole basis to deny funding or approval of a project or to disqualify any material from use in severely corrosive soils; and(2)Reclamation shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate prior to advertisement of any project with a buried metallic pipeline where severely corrosive soils are anticipated to be encountered. The notification shall include the corrosion prevention requirements that are anticipated to be required in the contract bidding documents.(b)Deviations.—If the entity that will be the ultimate owner of a project requests a deviation from the corrosion prevention requirements that the Bureau of Reclamation proposes for such project, Reclamation shall give expeditious consideration to granting the deviation and include liability waivers, if appropriate.(c)Revisions to Technical Memorandum.—A proposal to update Technical Memorandum 8140-CC-2004-1 (Corrosion Considerations for Buried Metallic Water Pipe) shall be—(1)Subject to a peer review by appropriate experts not employed or selected by the Bureau of Reclamation and in accordance with the standards referenced in the Office of Management and Budget document Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review; and(2)Promulgated in accordance with the requirements of Reclamation’s Design Standard No. 1 (General Design Standards Dated May 2012), and any other applicable law, regulation, or agency process, including opportunities for meaningful public participation and input.