Hazardous Materials: Cargo Tank Motor Vehicle Loading and Unloading Operations

Topics:  U.S. Department of Transportation

Magdy El-Sibaie (Federal Register)
May 11, 2011

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 27300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11494]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

49 CFR Parts 172 and 177

[Docket Number PHMSA-2007-28119 (HM-247)]
RIN 2137-AE37


Hazardous Materials: Cargo Tank Motor Vehicle Loading and 
Unloading Operations

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On March 11, 2011, PHMSA published a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPRM) seeking public comment on a proposal to amend the HMR 
requirements for cargo tank loading or unloading operations. PHMSA is 
notifying the public of our intent to extend the comment period by 30 
days for a notice of proposed rulemaking published on March 11, 2011.

DATES: The comment period for the NPRM closing on May 10, 2011, is 
extended until June 9, 2011. To the extent possible, PHMSA will 
consider late-filed comments during the next stage of the rulemaking 
process.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the docket number 
(PHMSA-2007-28119) by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Operations, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Routing 
Symbol M-30, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: To Docket Operations, Room W12-140 on the 
ground floor of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number for this notice at the beginning of the comment. Note 
that all comments received will be posted without change to the docket 
management system, including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the dockets to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov, or DOT's Docket 
Operations Office (see ADDRESSES).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Eichenlaub or Dirk Der Kinderen, 
Standards and Rulemaking Division, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 
Safety Administration, telephone (202) 366-8553.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the 
electronic form of any written communications and comments received 
into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the 
document (or signing the document, if submitted on behalf of an 
association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477) or you may visit http://www.regulations.gov.

I. Background

    On March 11, 2011, PHMSA published an NPRM (HM-247; 76 FR 13313) 
seeking public comment on a proposal to amend the HMR requirements for 
cargo tank loading or unloading operations. Specifically, the NPRM 
amendments included requirements to:
     Assess the risks of loading and unloading operations and 
develop written operating procedures based on the risk assessment;
     Train hazmat employees in the relevant aspects of the 
operational procedures;
     Qualify annually hazmat employees who perform loading and 
unloading operations;
     Develop and implement a periodic maintenance schedule for 
equipment and conduct periodic operational tests of equipment; and
     Ensure that the equipment meets the performance standards.
    In the NPRM, we invited comment on a number of provisions as well 
as comment on the methodology used to develop the regulatory evaluation 
supporting the NPRM. See the March 11, 2011 NPRM for a complete 
discussion of the proposals and requests for comment and information.

II. Comment Period Extension

    Given the abundance of requests for comment and data contained in 
this NPRM as well as our consideration of a number of other proposed 
rulemakings concurrently impacting interested parties affected by the 
cargo tank motor vehicle proposals in this notice, we are providing 
affected entities as well as the general public an additional 30 days 
to allow for thorough review, analysis, and response to the NPRM. Thus, 
the comment period for the HM-247 NPRM is extended from May 10, 2011 
until June 9, 2011.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2011 under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR part 106.
Magdy El-Sibaie,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 2011-11494 Filed 5-10-11; 8:45 am]
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