[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23852-23854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09896]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2015-0098 (Notice No. 15-8)]
Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, PHMSA
invites comments on certain information collections pertaining to
hazardous materials transportation for which PHMSA intends to request
renewal and extension from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
June 29, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the docket number
(PHMSA-2015-0098) 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 or Regulation Identification Number (RIN) for this
notice. Internet users may access comments received by DOT at: http://www.regulations.gov. Note that comments received will be posted without
change to: http://www.regulations.gov including any personal
information provided.
Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits
comments from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT
posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information
the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the
system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at
www.dot.gov/privacy.
Requests for a copy of an information collection should be directed
to Steven Andrews or T. Glenn Foster, Standards and Rulemaking Division
(PHH-12), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., East Building, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20590-
0001, Telephone (202) 366-8553.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Andrews or T. Glenn Foster,
Standards and Rulemaking Division (PHH-12), Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., East
Building, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone (202) 366-
8553.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1320.8 (d), Title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations requires PHMSA to provide interested members of the public
and affected agencies an opportunity to comment on information
collection and recordkeeping requests. This notice identifies
information collection requests that PHMSA will be submitting to OMB
for renewal and extension. These information collections are contained
in 49 CFR parts 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, and 177 of the Hazardous
Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). PHMSA has revised
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burden estimates, where appropriate, to reflect current reporting
levels or adjustments based on changes in proposed or final rules
published since the information collections were last approved. The
following information is provided for each information collection: (1)
Title of the information collection, including former title if a change
is being made; (2) OMB control number; (3) summary of the information
collection activity; (4) description of affected public; (5) estimate
of total annual reporting and recordkeeping burden; and (6) frequency
of collection. PHMSA will request a three-year term of approval for
each information collection activity and, when approved by OMB, publish
a notice of the approval in the Federal Register. PHMSA requests
comments on the following information collections:
Title: Hazardous Materials Shipping Papers and Emergency Response
Information.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0034.
Summary: This information collection is for the requirement to
provide a shipping paper and emergency response information with
shipments of hazardous materials. Shipping papers are considered to be
a basic communication tool relative to the transportation of hazardous
materials. The definition of a shipping paper in 49 CFR 171.8 includes
a shipping order, bill of lading, manifest, or other shipping document
serving a similar purpose and containing the information required by
Sec. Sec. 172.202, 172.203, and 172.204 of the HMR. A shipping paper
with emergency response information must accompany most hazardous
materials shipments and be readily available at all times during
transportation. Shipping papers serve as the principal source of
information regarding the presence of hazardous materials,
identification, quantity, and emergency response procedures. They also
serve as the source of information for compliance with other
requirements, such as the placement of rail cars containing different
hazardous materials in trains; prevent the loading of poisons with
foodstuffs; maintain the separation of incompatible hazardous
materials; and limit the amount of radioactive materials that may be
transported in a vehicle or aircraft. Shipping papers and emergency
response information serve as a means of notifying transport workers
that hazardous materials are present. Most importantly, shipping papers
serve as a principal means of identifying hazardous materials during
transportation emergencies. Firefighters, police, and other emergency
response personnel are trained to obtain the Department of
Transportation (DOT) shipping papers and emergency response information
when responding to hazardous materials transportation emergencies. The
availability of accurate information concerning hazardous materials
being transported significantly improves response efforts in these
types of emergencies.
PHMSA is revising this information collection burden to reflect the
anticipated completion of the collection of information under the
Hazardous Materials Automated Cargo Communications for Efficient and
Safe Shipments (HM-ACCESS) pilot program.
Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials in
commerce.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Number of Respondents: 260,000.
Total Annual Responses: 185,000,000.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,625,846.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Title: Radioactive (RAM) Transportation Requirements.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0510.
Summary: This information collection consolidates and describes the
information collection provisions in the HMR involving the
transportation of radioactive materials in commerce. Information
collection requirements for RAM include: Shipper notification to
consignees of the dates of shipment of RAM; expected arrival; special
loading/unloading instructions; verification that shippers using
foreign-made packages hold a foreign competent authority certificate
and verification that the terms of the certificate are being followed
for RAM shipments being made into this country; and specific handling
instructions from shippers to carriers for fissile RAM, bulk shipments
of low specific activity RAM, and packages of RAM which emit high
levels of external radiation. These information collection requirements
help to establish that proper packages are used for the type of
radioactive material being transported; external radiation levels do
not exceed prescribed limits; and packages are handled appropriately
and delivered in a timely manner, so as to ensure the safety of the
general public, transport workers, and emergency responders.
Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of radioactive materials in
commerce.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Number of Respondents: 3,817.
Total Annual Responses: 21,519.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 15,270.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Title: Subsidiary Hazard Class and Number/Type of Packagings.
OMB Control Number: 2137-0613.
Summary: The HMR require that shipping papers and emergency
response information accompany each shipment of hazardous materials in
commerce. In addition to the basic shipping description information, we
also require the subsidiary hazard class or subsidiary division
number(s) to be entered in parentheses following the primary hazard
class or division number on shipping papers. This requirement was
originally required only by transportation by vessel. However, the lack
of such a requirement posed problems for motor carriers with regard to
complying with segregation, separation, and placarding requirements, as
well as posing a safety hazard. For example, in the event the motor
vehicle becomes involved in an accident, when the hazardous materials
being transported include a subsidiary hazard such as ``dangerous when
wet'' or a subsidiary hazard requiring more stringent requirements than
the primary hazard, there is no indication of the subsidiary hazards on
the shipping papers and no indication of the subsidiary risks on
placards. Under circumstances such as motor vehicles being loaded at a
dock, labels are not enough to alert hazardous materials employees
loading the vehicles, nor are they enough to alert emergency responders
of the subsidiary risks contained on the vehicles. Therefore, we
require the subsidiary hazard class or subsidiary division number(s) to
be entered on the shipping paper, for purposes of enhancing safety and
international harmonization.
We also require the number and type of packagings to be indicated
on the shipping paper. This requirement makes it mandatory for shippers
to indicate on shipping papers the numbers and types of packages, such
as drums, boxes, jerricans, etc., being used to transport hazardous
materials by all modes of transportation.
Shipping papers serve as a principal means of identifying hazardous
materials during transportation emergencies. Firefighters, police, and
other emergency response personnel are trained to obtain the DOT
shipping papers and emergency response information when responding to
hazardous materials transportation emergencies. The availability of
accurate information concerning hazardous materials being transported
significantly improves response efforts in these types of emergencies.
The additional information would aid
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emergency responders by more clearly identifying the hazard.
Affected Public: Shippers and carriers of hazardous materials in
commerce.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:
Number of Respondents: 250,000.
Total Annual Responses: 6,337,500.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 17,604.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
William S. Schoonover,
Deputy Associate Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-09896 Filed 4-28-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P