Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration January 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

PHMSA (also, ``we'' or ``us'') is amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to: require cylinders of compressed oxygen and other oxidizing gases and packages of chemical oxygen generators to be placed in an outer packaging that meets certain flame penetration and thermal resistance requirements when transported aboard an aircraft; revise the pressure relief device (PRD) setting limit on cylinders of compressed oxygen and other oxidizing gases transported aboard aircraft; limit the types of cylinders authorized for transporting compressed oxygen aboard aircraft; and convert most of the provisions of an oxygen generator approval into requirements in the HMR. PHMSA is issuing this final rule in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to increase the level of safety associated with transportation of these materials aboard aircraft.

In accordance with the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5117(c), PHMSA is publishing the following list of special permit applications that have been in process for 180 days or more. The reason(s) for delay and the expected completion date for action on each application is provided in association with each identified application.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations (49 CFR part 107, subpart B), notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the application described herein. This notice is abbreviated to expedite docketing and public notice. Because the sections affected, modes of transportation, and the nature of application have been shown in earlier Federal Register publications, they are not repeated here. Request of modifications of special permits (e.g. to provide for additional hazardous materials, packaging design changes, additional mode of transportation, etc.) are described in footnotes to the application number. Application numbers with the suffix ``M'' denote a modification request. These applications have been separated from the new applications for special permits to facilitate processing.

On December 21, 2006 the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Transportation Security Administration, published a notice of proposed rulemaking proposing to revise the current requirements in the Hazardous Materials Regulations applicable to the safe and secure transportation of hazardous materials transported in commerce by rail. Specifically, we are proposing to require rail carriers to compile annual data on specified shipments of hazardous materials, use the data to analyze safety and security risks along rail transportation routes where those materials are transported, assess alternative routing options, and make routing decisions based on those assessments. We are also proposing clarifications of the current security plan requirements to address en route storage, delays in transit, delivery notification, and additional security inspection requirements for hazardous materials shipments. PHMSA will hold two public meetings, on February 1, 2007, in Washington, DC, and February 9, 2007, in Dallas, Texas, to obtain stakeholder comments on the proposed rail security requirements. Information on the dates and locations of the public meetings is provided in this notice.