Two Hazmat Rules to Watch in 2025

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) expects to publish two Final Rules in the first half of 2025 that will directly impact hazmat shippers and carriers. Details about both rules, including estimated ETAs, appear in the recently updated Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. 

The Unified Agenda is a twice-yearly status report in which Federal government agencies provide a glimpse into new regulations they plan to finalize, propose, or consider in the near and long-term future. Lion Members: Stay tuned for more about hazmat, environmental, and safety rules to watch in 2025 in a Member Bulletin coming via e-mail this week.

More Reportable "Hazardous Substances" and RQs

The first, planned for this month (January 2025), is a rule to revise the list of hazardous substances and reportable quantities (RQs) in Appendix A to the Hazmat Table (§172.101). 

CERCLA requires US DOT to keep the list in Appendix A up to date with the "official" list of hazardous substances found in 40 CFR Part 302. US EPA updates and/or adds to that list from time to time. In 2024, for example, EPA added two PFAS to the hazardous substance list. 

Shippers of hazardous materials must be aware of any listed hazardous substance(s) they ship: When offered in a quantity greater than its RQ in a single package, a hazardous substance is subject to additional requirements for marking and incident reporting/notifications.

For more details about this Final Rule, see the Fall 2024 Unified Agenda.

A hazmat package showing the Reportable Quantity (RQ) marking.

Larger Hazmat Registration Fees

In June 2025, PHMSA hopes to publish a second rule that directly impacts all shippers and carriers who are required to register with DOT due to the quantity or type of hazardous materials they offer and/or transport. This Final Rule will increase fees for shippers and carriers of hazardous materials subject to the registration program in 49 CFR Part 107, including small businesses and non-profits.

Specifics about the to-be-finalized registration fee levels, see this blog post about the proposed rule PHMSA published last year. In short, fees for small businesses and non-profits will increase to $375/year and the fee for all other registrants will increase to $3,000/year.

For more details about the Final Rule, see the Fall 2024 Unified Agenda.  

In the first week of 2025, PHMSA published a rulemaking to increase civil penalties for violations of the HMR. Penalties are now as high as $100,000+ per day, per violation. Failure to provide hazmat training for employees now carriers a minimum fine of $617 per day, per employee.

2025 Hazmat Shipper Training Starts This Month

Lion workshops for hazardous materials/dangerous goods shippers and hazardous waste generators come to Orlando, Nashville, and Atlanta in January 2025.  Get hazmat employee training mandated by US DOT at 49 CFR 172.702 and build a strong, clear understanding of relevant requirements for shipper your materials.

Upcoming Hazmat Workshops: Orlando, Nashville, and Atlanta
Full 2025 Schedule 

Tags: 2025 rules, hazardous materials, hazmat, new rules