[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 140 (Thursday, July 20, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45126-45127]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18312]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs Administration

[Docket No. RSPA-00-7283; Notice No. 00-7]


Hazardous Materials Safety: Public Meeting Related to Customer 
Service and Regulatory Review

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: RSPA will hold a public meeting to seek information from the 
public on improving safety, reducing costs (especially to small 
businesses) and increasing customer service through RSPA's management 
of the national hazardous materials transportation safety program. This 
meeting is being held in conjunction with a Hazardous Materials 
Multimodal Training Seminar sponsored by RSPA on September 12 and 13, 
2000.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Sheraton Airport 
Hotel Cleveland, 5300 Riverside Drive, Cleveland, OH (216-267-1500). 
For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meetings, contact 
Charles Betts at the address or phone number listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT as soon as possible.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 13, 
2000, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; however, the meeting may end prior to 
5:00 p.m., dependent upon public interest.

[[Page 45127]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Betts, Office of Hazardous 
Materials Standards, RSPA, Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh 
Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Phone (202) 366-8553.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Focus on Issues of Interest to Affected 
Parties. RSPA (``we'' and ``our'') is interested in soliciting comments 
on the kind and quality of services our customers want and their level 
of satisfaction with the services we currently provide to promote 
understanding and compliance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations 
(HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). These services include the following:
    (1) Hazardous Materials Information Center (HMIC). A staff of three 
persons is available Monday to Friday (except Federal holidays) between 
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time) to address telephonic inquiries 
from shippers, carriers, packaging manufacturers and other persons 
concerning requirements in the HMR for the safe transportation of 
hazardous materials. In 1999, the HMIC handled more than 28,000 calls. 
The toll-free number is 1-800-HMR-4922.
    (2) Internet Access. Our site on the worldwide web (http://hazmat.dot.gov) provides information concerning hazardous materials 
rulemakings, exemptions, letters of clarification, international 
activities, incident data, the 2000 Emergency Response Guidebook and 
much more.
    (3) Fax on Demand. For persons who do not have access to the 
internet, we operate an automated fax-back system that allows callers 
access to more than 600 pages of informational materials, including 
letters of clarification and recently published rulemakings, through 
their own fax machines. A facsimile copy of the catalog of available 
documents may be obtained by accessing the fax-on-demand feature 
through our HMIC number 1-800-HMR-4922.
    (4) Training. To promote compliance with the HMR, we distribute 
brochures, charts, publications, training materials, videotapes, and 
other safety-related information to hazmat employers and hazmat 
employees in the private and government sectors, as well as to the 
general public. Hazardous materials training is provided to Federal, 
State and local enforcement agencies, industry, and emergency response 
personnel. In addition, we provide personal computer based self-study 
programs through a CD-ROM modular training series.
    (5) Government-Industry Partnerships. To the extent permitted 
through our limited resources, we participate in meetings, conferences, 
training workshops, and the like sponsored by public sector, industry, 
and international organizations having an interest in the safe 
transportation of hazardous materials.
    Regulations and Administrative Procedures. On December 20, 1999, we 
published a notice of regulatory review (Docket No. RSPA-99-5143, 64 FR 
71098) requesting comments on the economic impact of the regulations on 
small entities. This year we are analyzing rules in 49 CFR Part 106, 
Rulemaking Procedures, Part 107, Hazardous Materials Program 
Procedures, and Part 171, General Information, Regulations, and 
Definitions. Meeting participants are invited to take this opportunity 
to suggest whether specific rules in these parts should be revised or 
revoked to lessen the impact on small entities.
    We are interested, also, in receiving comments on the quality of 
our processing of written requests for information, applications for 
exemption and approval, registration statements, and other 
administrative actions. Meeting participants are encouraged to provide 
suggestions on how we may improve our performance in processing these 
administrative actions.
    We welcome all comments on ways to improve understanding and 
compliance with the HMR, including removal of obsolete requirements, 
revisions to conflicting or confusing requirements, and the use of 
plain language in regulations. We will address inquiries concerning new 
or proposed requirements recently published in rulemaking actions 
concerning RSPA's registration and fee assessment program (Docket No. 
RSPA-99-5137; 65 FR 7297, February 14, 2000); harmonization of 
requirements in the HMR pertaining to the transportation of radioactive 
materials with standards published by the International Atomic Energy 
Agency (Docket No. RSPA-99-6283; 64 FR 72633, December 28, 1999); and 
the permitted use, until October 1, 2001, of internationally recognized 
POISON and POISON GAS labels on packages intended for transportation in 
international commerce (Docket No. RSPA-99-6195, 64 FR 50260, September 
16, 1999 and 64 FR 51719, September 24, 1999).
    Representatives from the United States Coast Guard, Federal 
Aviation Administration, Federal Railroad Administration and Federal 
Motor Carrier Safety Administration will participate with RSPA in this 
public meeting and address modal-specific issues.
    Conduct of the Meeting. This is an informal meeting intended to 
produce a dialogue between agency personnel and persons affected by the 
hazardous materials transportation safety program. The presiding 
official may find it necessary to limit the time available to each 
person to ensure that all participants have an opportunity to speak. 
Conversely, this meeting may conclude early if all persons wishing to 
participate have been heard. While there will be no transcript of the 
meeting, RSPA will prepare a written summary of the meeting and post it 
in this notice's docket (RSPA-00-7283). Persons interested in 
participating in this public meeting need not be registered for the 
Hazardous Materials Multimodal Training Seminar.

Robert A. McGuire,
Acting Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 00-18312 Filed 7-19-00; 8:45 am]
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