[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 227 (Monday, November 27, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58434-58435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-28813]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Improving the Hazardous Materials Safety Program; Public Meetings
Related to Regulatory Review and Customer Service
AGENCY: Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting in Long Beach,
California, to seek information from the public on regulatory reform
and improved customer service for RSPA's hazardous materials safety
program. This meeting replaces the meeting previously scheduled for
November 16, 1995, in San Diego, California, which was canceled due to
a lapse in funding for the Department of Transportation.
ADDRESSES: See Supplementary Information for specific time, location,
and agenda.
DATES: January 25, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Edmund J. Richards, Interagency Hazardous Materials Program
Coordinator, (202) 366-0656; or Suezett Edwards, Training and
Information Specialist, (202) 366-4900; Hazardous Materials Safety,
RSPA, Department of Transportation, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 4, 1995, President Clinton issued a
memorandum to heads of departments and agencies calling for a review of
all agency regulations and elimination or revision of those that are
outdated or in need of reform. The President also directed that front
line regulators ``* * * get out of Washington and create grassroots
partnerships'' with people affected by agency regulations.
On September 11, 1993, the President signed an Executive Order on
setting customer service standards. The Executive Order promotes
continuing reform of the executive branch's management practices and
operations to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the
best service available in the private sector. RSPA is seeking
information from individuals and businesses impacted by its hazardous
materials safety program to determine the kind and quality of services
they want and their level of satisfaction with existing services.
An initial series of outreach meetings to address these two topics
was held in April and May of this year in San Francisco, California;
Chicago, Illinois; Clearwater and Tampa, Florida; Houston, Texas, and
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many participants requested that these meeting
be continued on a regular basis and scheduled in areas of the country
not previously covered. As a result, a second series of meetings is
being held. Meetings have been held in Cambridge, Massachusetts;
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Seattle, Washington; and Charlotte, North
Carolina. The meeting to be held in Long Beach, California, will
complete the second series.
Areas of Regulatory Concern
In calling on agencies to review, revise, and, when necessary, cut
obsolete regulations, the President
[[Page 58435]]
directed each agency to consider the following issues:
Is the regulation obsolete?
Could its intended goal be achieved in more efficient,
less obtrusive ways?
Are there private sector alternatives, such as market
mechanisms, that can better achieve the public good envisioned by the
regulation?
Could private business, setting its own standards and
being subject to public accountability, do the job as well?
Could the states or local governments doe the job, making
Federal regulation unnecessary?
Can certain regulatory provisions be relaxed without
unduly impacting safety?
Improvements to Customer Service
At the meeting, RSPA will solicit comments on the kind and quality
of services its customers want and their level of satisfaction with the
services currently provided by the hazardous materials safety program.
RSPA will use the comments received to establish service standards and
measure results against them; provide choices in both the sources of
service and the means of delivery; make information, services, and
complaint systems easily accessible; and provide a means to address
customer complaints. RSPA's current customer services include providing
guidance in understanding and complying with the HMR and processing
exemptions, approvals, registrations, grant applications and
enforcement actions. Other customer services include conduct of
multimodal hazardous materials seminars, operation of the Hazardous
Materials Information Exchange (HMIX) electronic bulletin board, and
development and dissemination of training and information materials.
Conduct of the Meeting
The meeting will be informal and is intended to produce a dialogue
between agency personnel and those persons directly affected by the
hazardous materials safety programs, regulations and customer services.
The meeting officer may find it necessary to limit the time allocated
each speaker to ensure that all participants have an opportunity to
speak. Conversely, the meeting may conclude before the time scheduled
if all persons wishing to participate have been heard.
The meeting will be held on January 25, 1996, from 9:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. in the 7th Floor Conference Room of the Glenn Anderson
Federal Building (11th Coast Guard District), 501 West Ocean Boulevard,
Long Beach, California. A picture ID may be required to enter the
building.
Issued in Washington, D.C. on November 20, 1995.
Alan I. Roberts,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 95-28813 Filed 11-24-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-M
