[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 120 (Thursday, June 23, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 36365-36366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12459]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

49 CFR Parts 107, 171, 172, 173, 178, and 180

[Docket No. RSPA-2005-17463 (HM-220E)]
RIN 2137-AD91


Hazardous Materials: Requirements for Cylinders; Extension of 
Comment Period

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: PHMSA is extending until September 6, 2005, the period for 
interested persons to submit comments on the March 9, 2005 notice of 
proposed rulemaking. In the March 9, 2005 NPRM, we proposed to amend 
the Hazardous Materials Regulations to adopt standards for the design, 
construction, maintenance and use of cylinders and multiple-element gas 
containers (MEGCs) based on the standards contained in the United 
Nations (UN) Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. 
Aligning the HMR with the UN

[[Page 36366]]

Recommendations will promote flexibility, permit the use of 
technological advances for the manufacture of pressure receptacles, 
provide for a broader selection of pressure receptacles, reduce the 
need for exemptions, and facilitate international commerce in the 
transportation of compressed gases.

DATES: Submit comments by September 6, 2005. To the extent possible, we 
will consider comments received after this date in developing a final 
rule.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the docket number 
PHMSA-2005-17463 (HM-220E) by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Web site: http://dms.dot.gov Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management System; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To the Docket Management System; Room PL-
401 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.
    Instructions: You must include the agency name (Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) and docket number (PHMSA-
2005-17463 (HM220E)) or the Regulatory Identification Number (RIN 2137-
AD91) for this notice at the beginning of your comments. You should 
submit two copies of your comments if you submit them by mail. If you 
wish to receive confirmation that PHMSA received your comments, you 
must include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Note that all comments 
received will be posted without change to http://dms.dot.gov, including 
any personal information provided, and will be accessible to Internet 
users. Please see the Privacy Act section of this document.
    Docket: You may view the public docket through the Internet at 
http://dms.dot.gov or in person at the Docket Management System office 
at the above address.

for further information contact: Ms. Hattie L. Mitchell, Office of 
Hazardous Materials Standards, (202) 366-8553, Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 
Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.

supplementary information:

I. Background

    On March 9, 2005, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration (PHMSA, we) published a notice of proposed rulemaking 
(NPRM) under Docket No. PHMSA-2005-17463 (HM-220E) (70 FR 11768). In 
the NPRM, we proposed to amend the Hazardous Materials Regulations 
(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) to adopt standards for the design, 
construction, maintenance and use of cylinders and multiple-element gas 
containers (MEGCs) based on the standards contained in the United 
Nations (UN) Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. 
Aligning the HMR with the UN Recommendations will promote flexibility, 
permit the use of technological advances for the manufacture of 
pressure receptacles, provide for a broader selection of pressure 
receptacles, reduce the need for exemptions, and facilitate 
international commerce in the transportation of compressed gases. We 
proposed to incorporate by reference 21 new standards developed by the 
International Standards Organization (ISO) that contain the design, 
construction, testing and requalification requirements for the new UN 
cylinders and MEGCs. The 120-day comment period for the proposed rule 
was to end on July 7, 2005.
    On June 10, 2005, Mr. Lawrence W. Bierlein filed comments to the 
docket on behalf of Arrowhead Industrial Services, Inc., requesting an 
extension of the comment period of an additional 90 days, until October 
6, 2005. Arrowhead stated that after ordering the ISO standards, the 
comment period remaining provides insufficient time for them to 
complete their analysis, draft comments, and coordinate with 
associations and others involved in the process.
    We agree the comment period should be extended to allow additional 
time for commenters to address the proposals. Therefore, we are 
allowing an additional 60 days for submission of comments, until 
September 6, 2005. We will consider comments received after this date 
to the extent possible in developing a final rule.

II. Regulatory Notice

Privacy Act

    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, 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 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit 
http://dms.dot.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 17, 2005, under the authority 
delegated in 49 CFR Part 106.
Robert A. McGuire,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-12459 Filed 6-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-M