PHMSA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

Comment Period Extended

On October 28, 2024, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to adopt several modal-specific amendments aimed at enhancing the safe transportation of hazardous materials in commerce. PHMSA sought the guidance of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the United States Coast Guard, along with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in identifying areas within the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 171-180 along with 49 CFR part 107 specific to highway, rail, and vessel.

In its NPRM, PHMSA noted it believes these modal specific changes will both enhance or maintain current safe transportation of hazardous material while also increasing the clarity of the HMR. Listed below are a few noteworthy, proposed revision:

• Rail tank car use requirements as recommended by the Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC);
• Rail tank car and service equipment design approval requirements;
• Highway cargo tank specifications and re-qualification requirements; and
• Marking requirements for cargo tanks that contain multiple petroleum distillate fuels.

For a complete look at the original NPRM you can click HERE NOW!

Now getting back to the most recently published NPRM related to the transportation of hazardous materials by highway, rail, and vessel, PHMSA has extended the comment period for this NPRM an additional 90 days. Now, all comments must be received by April 28, 2025. If you feel you have some insight or wish to take part in shaping your industry, you can submit your comments at the Federal eRulemaking Porta at : https://www.regulations.gov. and follow the instructions for submitting comments.

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