80 FR 23852 - Hazardous Materials: Information Collection Activities

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 82 (April 29, 2015)

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).

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23852-23854]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[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

[[Page 23853]]

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

[[Page 23854]]

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