Lion News

07/19/2011

Question of the Week: DOT Rules for Reusing Drums for Shipping Hazardous Waste

07/08/2011

The Spring 2011 Regulatory Agenda: PHMSA

On July 7, 2011, Federal regulatory agencies published their semiannual regulatory agendas and regulatory plans as required under the Regulatory Flexibility Act [5 U.S.C. 602]. The agenda is where agencies summarize all current or projected rulemakings and review existing regulations and completed actions. While the detailed agendas are no longer published in the Federal Register...

07/06/2011

US DOT Requires Training for Shippers of Dry Ice

Dry ice is commonly used by the medical, pharmaceutical, and food industries to keep perishable goods frozen during shipment. The substance poses a variety of health and safety threats, including explosion and suffocation. With enforcement on the rise, thorough knowledge of the regulations is essential to avoid penalties for non-compliance that can be as high as...

06/21/2011

Finding Out More About the Hazardous Material Regulations

There are 34 pages in the Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety and Security Reauthorization Act of 2005 [HMTA; Pub. L. 109-59] and 1,105 pages in the Hazardous Material Regulations [HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180] to enforce that law. These laws and rules govern every element of hazardous materials transportation safety and security. Have you ever read or skimmed through them? Do you know where to find a copy...

06/15/2011

NACD Also Objects to PHMSA’s Cargo Tank Unloading Rule

Following up from yesterday’s post, the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), like the ATA, is also objecting to overreaching elements of PHMSA’s proposed regulations for cargo tank loading and unloading...

06/14/2011

ATA Opposes Proposed Rules for Loading/Unloading Hazmat Cargo Tanks

On June 9, the American Trucking Association (ATA) filed comments with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, criticizing its proposal to require...

06/09/2011

Report on PHMSA’s Pre-UN Public Meeting

06/06/2011

Homeland Security Announces Regulatory Review Plan

In today’s Federal Register (76 FR 32331), the Department of Homeland Security announced its Preliminary Plan for Retrospective Review of Existing Regulations, pursuant to Executive Order 13563. The plan was developed in part from the public input solicited by DHS in the Federal Register on March 14, 2011, “Reducing Regulatory Burden; Retrospective Review Under Executive...

05/31/2011

Question of the Week: What’s Going to Happen to ORM-D?

Q. I’ve heard the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is phasing out the Consumer Commodity (ORM-D) exceptions from the Hazardous Material Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). When did this happen? When does it take effect? And does this mean that regular consumer products need shipping papers and the whole rigmarole of marks, labels, and UN specification packaging like regular hazmat...

05/17/2011

Question of the Week: Changes for Combustible Liquids?

Q. We ship a mineral spirits product that has a flashpoint of 120ºF in 55-gallon drums. The product has no other DOT hazards and is only shipped by highway. We have been using the opportunity that the DOT provided at 49 CFR 173.150(f) to reclassify our product as a combustible liquid so that we can take advantage of the exception at 49 CFR 173.120(b)(2). We heard that the DOT is eliminating the combustible liquid designation. What will this mean for our shipments?