Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration January 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice provides a list of the special permits PHMSA granted in calendar year 2007.

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. Requests 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'' demote a modification request. These applications have been separated from the new application for special permits to facilitate processing.

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.

PHMSA amends the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) by revising the list of hazardous substances and reportable quantities (RQs) and by correcting editorial errors to the list of hazardous substances and RQs. Superfund (i.e., CERCLA) requires PHMSA to list and regulate all hazardous substances designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This final rule enables shippers and carriers to identify the affected hazardous substances, comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, and make the required notifications if the release of a hazardous substance occurs.

This notice solicits information and comments on proposed recommended practices for loading and unloading operations involving bulk packagings used to transport hazardous materials. In this notice, we summarize incident data related to bulk loading and unloading operations; discuss recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Chemical and Safety Hazard Investigation Board; provide an overview of current Federal regulations applicable to bulk loading and unloading operations; summarize the results of a public workshop we hosted earlier this year; and set forth proposed recommended practices for bulk loading and unloading operations. Based on information and comments received, we plan to consider strategies for enhancing the safety of bulk loading and unloading operations, including whether additional regulatory requirements may be necessary. In addition, we are soliciting comments on whether there are existing gaps and/or overlaps in regulations promulgated by PHMSA, OSHA, EPA and the USCG that adversely affect the safety of these operations, and how any identified gaps and/or overlaps in Federal regulations should be addressed.