Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration August 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

PHMSA is proposing to revise the Hazardous Materials Regulations applicable to the approval of Division 1.4G consumer fireworks (UN0336 Fireworks) and establish DOT-approved fireworks certification agencies that will provide an alternative to the approval process for Division 1.4G consumer fireworks. PHMSA is also proposing to revise procedural regulations pertaining to certification agencies. These proposed actions, if adopted, will clarify regulations with respect to PHMSA's fireworks approval process and provide regulatory flexibility in seeking authorization for the transportation of Division 1.4G consumer fireworks.

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 applications 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 for modification 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 application for special permits to facilitate processing.

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 of the actions on special permits applications in (July to July 2012). The mode of transportation involved are identified by a number in the ``Nature of Application'' portion of the table below as follows: 1Motor vehicle, 2Rail freight, 3Cargo vessel, 4Cargo aircraft only, 5Passenger-carrying aircraft. Application numbers prefixed by the letters EE represent applications for Emergency Special Permits. It should be noted that some of the sections cited were those in effect at the time certain special permits were issued.

PHMSA proposes to amend the Hazardous Materials Regulations to maintain alignment with international standards by incorporating various amendments, including changes to proper shipping names, hazard classes, packing groups, special provisions, packaging authorizations, air transport quantity limitations, and vessel stowage requirements. These revisions are necessary to harmonize the Hazardous Materials Regulations with recent changes made to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, the International Civil Aviation Organization's Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, and the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous GoodsModel Regulations and subsequently address a petition for rulemaking.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA invites comments on two information collections that we will be submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal. The information collections relate to the pipeline integrity management requirements for gas transmission pipeline operators and the response plan requirements for operators of onshore oil pipelines. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published in the Federal Register on May 9, 2012, (77 FR 27279) under Docket No. PHMSA-2012-0094. No comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow the public an additional 30 days to submit comments to OMB on the information collection described below.