Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration January 10, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.