Hopefully this brings a little good news in a year filled with enough uncertainty and bad news to fill a lifetime. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has finalized their final rule which “updates, clarifies, or provides relief from various regulatory requirements without adversely affecting safety.”
So, what does all this mean and when are the important dates? Great questions.
On November 16, 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published an Information Collection Activities (ICA) request of Information Collection Request (ICR) for comments related to Hazardous Materials Security Plans in relation to liquefied natural gas (LNG) in rail transportation.
Have you heard the saying “Everything is bigger in Texas?” Apparently, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has. On September 24, 2020, TCEQ announced the Fifth Revision of the Commission’s Penalty Policy which provides an outline for how they (TCEQ) calculates fines and penalties which violate the State’s environmental and hazardous materials waste regulations.
This proposed change would create four major changes in the Penalty Policy:
In an effort to clarify confusions surrounding the 2021-2022 International Air Transport Association’s Dangerous Goods Regulations (IATA DGR) Technical Instructions (TI) and International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) Amendment 40-20, The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrations (PHMSA) released the following statement on October 1, 2020:
IATA Significant Changes and Amendments to the 62 Edition (2021)
2020 wouldn’t be complete without yet another change before the end of the year. If you had a Sharknado, fire from the sky, or the rise of Atlantis on your 2020 bingo card you’re thankfully wrong. However, if you guessed the 62nd Edition of The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) new edition of its Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), then you can use your dabber to mark that 2020 bingo card.
You may or may not have heard from a coworker, friend, or even inspector that the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) was no longer taking enforcement actions against hazmat employers who were unable to provide recurrent training consistent with Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) training requirements due to Covid-19. While this may be true, it was only true for a certain period, more specifically 90 days from the date of issuance.
Just a heads-up, for all of you who conduct ignitibility testing of certain wastes, or use SW-846 air sampling and stack emissions Methods 0010, 0011, 0020, 0023A, or 005 for determining ignitibility characteristics. September 8, 2020 will be a day to mark on your calendar, as the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule will go into effect (RIN 2050-AG93). Some other potentially affected groups are as follows:
As many of us are likely aware of by now, the recent explosion in Beirut which injured thousands and killed over 135 people and counting, should act as reminder of the importance of proper storage of hazardous materials. The blast that was felt over 9KM away, was magnified by the improper storage of 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate and other “highly explosive materials which had been confiscated years earlier and stored in the warehouse near where the ammonium nitrate was left,” according to Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
