19 July 2006
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[Federal Register: July 19, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 138)]
[Notices]
[Page 41071-41073]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19jy06-154]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[PHMSA-06-24764; Notice No. 06-03]
Revision of the Emergency Response Guidebook
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
DOT.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises interested persons that the Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is soliciting
comments on the development of the 2008 Emergency Response Guidebook
(ERG2008), particularly from those who have experience using the 2004
Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2004) during a hazardous materials
incident. PHMSA is also soliciting comments on the experiences
emergency responders have had obtaining emergency response information
during an incident. The ERG2008 will supersede the ERG2004. The
development of the ERG2008 is a joint effort involving the
transportation agencies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. PHMSA
will publicize its interest in receiving comments on the ERG2008 and
this notice through its announcements to emergency responder
associations, during training and education seminars, and during
activities with State and local government agencies. PHMSA has also
established an e-mail address for interested persons to submit their
comments: ERG2008@dot.gov.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted on or before September 18,
2006.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the docket number
(PHMSA-06-24764 (Notice No. 06-03)) by any of the following methods:
Web site: http://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for
submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management System; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-402,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery: To the Docket Management System; Room PL-
402 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this
notice. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional
information on the rulemaking process, see the Public Participation
heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. Note
that all comments received will be posted without change to http://dms.dot.gov
including any personal information provided. Please see the
Privacy Act heading under Supplementary Information.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to the
Docket Management System (see ADDRESSES).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suezett Edwards, Office of Hazardous
Materials Initiatives and Training (PHH-50), Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20590-0001, phone number: (202) 366-4900, e-mail:
Suezett.edwards@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Request for Comments
A. Background and Purpose
The Federal hazardous materials transportation law, 49 U.S.C. 5101
et seq., authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to issue and
enforce regulations deemed necessary to ensure the safe transport of
hazardous materials. In addition, the law directs the Secretary of
Transportation to provide law enforcement and fire-fighting personnel
with technical information and advice for responding to emergencies
involving the transportation of hazardous materials.
PHMSA developed the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) for use by
emergency services personnel to provide guidance for initial response
to hazardous materials incidents. Since 1976, it has been the goal of
PHMSA for all public emergency response vehicles, including fire
fighting, police, and rescue squad vehicles, to carry a copy of the
ERG. To accomplish this, PHMSA has published nine editions of the ERG
and has distributed without charge over
[[Page 41072]]
nine million copies to emergency services agencies.
Since 1996, PHMSA, Transport Canada, and the Secretary of
Communication and Transport of Mexico jointly developed the ERG. The
ERG2008 will supersede the ERG2004 and we will publish it in English,
French, and Spanish for use by emergency response personnel.
Publication of the ERG2008 will increase public safety by providing
consistent emergency response procedures for hazardous materials
incidents in North America. To continually improve the ERG, PHMSA is
publishing this notice to actively solicit comments from interested
parties on their experiences using the ERG2004. We request that
commenters provide responses to the questions listed below as well as
any additional information they would like to provide. We are
especially interested in receiving comments on the usefulness of the
ERG and the type and quality of information it provides from those who
have used the ERG during a hazardous materials incident. To further
examine the information received during a hazardous materials incident,
we have included questions to solicit comments on the type and quality
of information received when using the emergency response telephone
numbers listed in the ERG2004. The emergency response information
service companies that provide these numbers have agreed to be
available by telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide
specific information about hazardous materials to emergency responders
arriving at the scene of a hazardous materials transportation incident.
To better ensure emergency responders and the public have
sufficient opportunity to comment on the ERG2008 and this notice,
PHMSA's training and outreach program will actively publicize its
interest in receiving these comments through announcements to emergency
responder associations, during training and education seminars, and
during activities with State and local government agencies. In
addition, PHMSA has established an e-mail address for interested
persons to easily submit their comments. The address is
ERG2008@dot.gov.
B. Emergency Response Guidebook User Concerns
PHMSA solicits comments on ERG user concerns and on the following
questions:
1. Have emergency responders experienced a problem of inconsistent
guidance between ERG2004 and other sources of technical information? If
so, in what way could PHMSA reduce or reconcile the inconsistencies in
the ERG2008?
2. Have emergency responders experienced confusion or difficulty in
understanding the scope or purpose of the ERG2004? If so, in what way
could PHMSA reduce this difficulty in the ERG2008?
3. Have emergency responders experienced confusion or difficulty in
understanding how to use the ERG2004? If so, in what way could PHMSA
reduce this difficulty in the ERG2008?
4. How could the ``Table of Initial Isolation and Protective Action
Distances'' or its introduction be made easier to comprehend and use?
5. In the ``Table,'' does the distinction between day and night
protective action distances add useful information for the first
responder? How could the distinction be improved?
6. Could the ``List of Dangerous Water-Reactive Materials''
introduced in The 1996 North American Emergency Response Guidebook
(NAERG96) be enhanced or improved?
7. Have emergency responders experienced difficulty understanding
the capabilities of chemical protective clothing, and the limitations
of structural firefighter's protective clothing in hazardous materials
incidents? If so, in what way can PHMSA improve the understanding in
the ERG2008?
8. Have any identification numbers (ID Nos.) been assigned
incorrectly to a material? If so, what is (are) the name of the
material(s)?
9. Has any identification number and/or material been assigned to
the ``wrong'' guide? If so, please identify the material and the guide,
recommend the correct guide, and state why you believe it should be
used.
10. Are the recommendations and responses on each guide appropriate
for the material assigned to the guide?
11. Have emergency responders experienced difficulty with
legibility of ERG2004's print style, format, or durability?
12. Have emergency response agencies experienced difficulty in
obtaining copies of ERG2004 for their vehicles?
13. In addition to the Table of Placards, Rail Car Identification
Chart, and Road Trailer Identification Chart, should other pictorial
information be included?
14. Are the Table of Placards, Rail Car Identification Chart, and
Road Trailer Identification Chart accurate, useful, and easy to use? If
not, how could they be improved?
15. Are the terms listed in the Glossary defined satisfactorily?
16. Should additional terms be added to the Glossary?
C. Questions Regarding the Emergency Response Telephone Numbers Listed
in the ERG2004
17. Have you received inaccurate information from any of the
numbers listed in the ERG2004? If so, from which company(s)? What was
wrong with the information provided? Was this a one-time occurrence? If
not, how many times did this occur?
18. Have non-government emergency response telephone number
providers delivered adequate information to assist first responders
during emergencies? Please provide examples.
19. Should non-government emergency response telephone number
providers be audited to assure their capacity to provide adequate and
accurate information to first responders?
20. Are there other companies you have used that you consider
reliable and would like included in the ERG2008? Who are they and why?
21. When requesting emergency assistance was the response timely?
What do you consider a timely response? In your opinion, what
company(s) did not meet this requirement? How many times did this
occur?
22. When calling one of the Emergency Response Telephone Numbers
listed in the ERG2004, have you experienced any problems, such as a
busy phone line, being disconnected during call, or no response at all?
23. Do you have any additional comments regarding the quality of
service and information received from any of the companies listed in
the ERG2004 that provide Emergency Response information?
24. Should non-government emergency response telephone numbers
continue to be listed in the ERG2008?
25. To be listed in the ERG2008, should non-government emergency
response telephone number providers meet specific and verifiable
criteria? If yes, please provide examples.
27. If a non-government emergency response telephone number
provider does business under several names, should the provider be
limited to one listing in the ERG2008?
Any supporting data and analyses provided will enhance the value of
the comments submitted and is appreciated.
[[Page 41073]]
Issued in Washington, DC, on June 12, 2006, under authority
delegated in 49 CFR part 106.
Robert A. McGuire,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety, Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-11395 Filed 7-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P