[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 185 (Monday, September 23, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 49723-49724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24267]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Research and Special Programs Administration
49 CFR Parts 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, and 180
[Docket HM-223; Notice No. 96-18]
RIN 2137-AC68
Applicability of the Hazardous Materials Regulations to Loading,
Unloading and Storage
AGENCY: Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of meeting; issues to be discussed in Sacramento.
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SUMMARY: On July 29, 1996, RSPA published an Advance Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking and notice of meeting in the Federal Register. In that
document, RSPA announced three public meetings at which it would seek
ideas, proposals and recommendations regarding the applicability of the
Hazardous Materials Regulations to particular hazardous materials
transportation activities. The first of the three public meetings was
held in Atlanta, Georgia on September 13, 1996. Based on information
gathered at that public meeting and information in the docket, RSPA is
announcing the topics to be discussed at the September 25, 1996 meeting
in Sacramento, California, by two working groups comprised of
interested members of the public. Those two topics are: The unloading
of hazardous materials and the storage of hazardous materials. Also,
commenters to date have identified several factors which could provide
a framework for possible regulation in these areas. These factors are
set forth in this notice and will serve as a starting point for
discussion for each working group in Sacramento.
DATES:
Meetings
(1) September 25, 1996 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Sacramento,
California--public working-group session
(2) October 30, 1996 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania--public working-group session.
Written Comments; Public Working-Group Sessions in Sacramento and
Philadelphia
Written comments must be received on or before November 30, 1996.
Any person wishing to participate in the Sacramento working-group
session should notify Nancy E. Machado by telephone, at the number
listed below, or in writing, on or before September 23, 1996. Any
person wishing to participate in the Philadelphia working-group session
should notify Nancy E. Machado by telephone or in writing on or before
October 23, 1996. RSPA will attempt to accommodate anyone who
indicates, after the deadlines, a desire to participate in either of
the two remaining public meetings.
ADDRESSES:
Meetings
(1) California State Department of Social Services Auditorium, 744
P Street, Sacramento, CA 95184.
(2) Penn Tower Hotel, Civic Center Boulevard at 34th St.,
Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Comments
Address comments to Dockets Unit (DHM-30), Office of Hazardous
Materials Safety, Research and Special Programs Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. Comments
should identify the docket and notice number and be submitted, when
possible, in five copies. Persons wishing to receive confirmation of
receipt of their comments should include a self-addressed, stamped
postcard. The Dockets Unit is located in Room 8421 of the Nassif
Building, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. Office
hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on
public holidays when the office is closed.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy E. Machado, Office of the Chief
Counsel, Research and Special Programs Administration, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20590-
0001, telephone 202-366-4400.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
On July 29, 1996, RSPA published an Advance Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (ANPRM) and notice of meeting in the Federal Register (61 FR
39522). In that document, RSPA announced three public meetings at which
it would seek ideas, proposals and recommendations regarding the
applicability of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR)(49 C.F.R.
Parts 171-180) to particular hazardous materials transportation
activities. In the ANPRM, RSPA asked that participants in the first
meeting, held in Atlanta, Georgia, comment on issues identified and
respond to questions raised in the July 29, 1996 ANPRM. RSPA proposed
to begin the Sacramento and Philadelphia meetings with an overview of
the issues of greatest concern to commenters in Atlanta, and then have
participants break out into working groups to discuss those issues and
to generate further ideas, proposals and recommendations. At the
conclusion of the working-group sessions, RSPA proposed to have each
working group present its ideas, proposals and recommendations to all
meeting participants for further discussion.
The Atlanta meeting was held on September 13, 1996, and was
attended by members of the regulated community, local government
interests, and Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) representatives.
After considering the oral statements made by participants in the
Atlanta meeting, and information already in the public docket, RSPA
announced at the conclusion of the Atlanta meeting that the two topics
for working-group discussions in Sacramento would be the unloading of
hazardous materials and the storage of hazardous materials. RSPA also
noted that, to date, commenters have identified several criteria which
might be used to determine the applicability or non-applicability of
the HMR. The working-group discussions will focus on those criteria and
the advantages and disadvantages of each. The criteria are:
(1) The nature of the activity;
(2) The intent of the activity;
(3) The time-frame involved in the activity;
[[Page 49724]]
(4) The physical location where the activity takes place;
(5) The priority of interests of each Federal agency in regulating
the activity;
(6) The nature of the shipping papers (e.g., ``active'') at the
time the activity is taking place; and
(7) The type of packaging involved in each activity.
RSPA is publishing this information in the Federal Register to
allow participants in the Sacramento meeting to prepare in advance for
the working-group discussions. RSPA will publish a similar notice in
the Federal Register prior to the Philadelphia meeting. The issues to
be discussed in Philadelphia may differ from the issues discussed in
Sacramento, based on information, ideas, proposals and recommendations
gathered by the agency in Sacramento and through comments in the
docket.
Issued in Washington, DC on September 16, 1996.
Alan I. Roberts,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 96-24267 Filed 9-20-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P
