49 U.S.C. § 5110: Shipping papers and disclosure

Each person offering for transportation in commerce hazardous material to which the shipping paper requirements of the Secretary apply shall provide to the carrier providing the transportation a shipping paper that makes the disclosures the Secretary prescribes in regulations. A motor carrier, and the person offering the hazardous material for transportation if a private motor carrier, shall keep the shipping paper on the vehicle transporting the material. the hazardous material no longer is in transportation; or the documents are made available to a representative of a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government or a State or local authority responding to an accident or incident involving the motor vehicle, train, vessel, aircraft, or facility. When an incident involving hazardous material being transported in commerce occurs, the person transporting the material, immediately on request of appropriate emergency response authorities, shall disclose to the authorities information about the material. The person who provides the shipping paper under this section shall retain the paper, or an electronic format of it, for a period of 2 years after the date that the shipping paper is provided to the carrier, with the paper or electronic format to be accessible through the offeror’s principal place of business. The carrier required to keep the shipping paper under this section, 1 shall retain the paper, or an electronic format of it, for a period of 1 year after the date that the shipping paper is provided to the carrier, with the paper or electronic format to be accessible through the carrier’s principal place of business. 1 So in original. Comma probably should not appear. Any person required to keep a shipping paper under this subsection shall, upon request, make it available to a Federal, State, or local government agency at reasonable times and locations. In order to develop methods of improving the current system of identifying hazardous materials being transported in vehicles for safeguarding the health and safety of persons responding to emergencies involving such hazardous materials and the public and to facilitate the review and reporting process required by subsection (d), the Secretary of Transportation shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Nov. 16, 1990 ]. to determine methods of improving the current system of placarding vehicles transporting hazardous materials; and to determine methods for establishing and operating a central reporting system and computerized telecommunications data center described in subsection (b)(1). The methods of improving the current system of placarding to be considered under the rulemaking proceeding initiated under this subsection shall include methods to make such placards more visible, methods to reduce the number of improper and missing placards, alternative methods of marking vehicles for the purpose of identifying the hazardous materials being transported, methods of modifying the composition of placards in order to ensure their resistance to flammability, methods of improving the coding system used with respect to such placards, identification of appropriate emergency response procedures through symbols on placards, and whether or not telephone numbers of any continually monitored telephone systems which are established under the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act [see 49 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.] are displayed on vehicles transporting hazardous materials. Not later than 19 months after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Nov. 16, 1990 ], the Secretary of Transportation shall complete the rulemaking proceeding initiated with respect to the central reporting system and computerized telecommunications data center described in subsection (b). Not later than 30 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall issue a final rule relating to improving the current system for placarding vehicles transporting hazardous materials. Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Nov. 16, 1990 ], the Secretary of Transportation shall undertake to enter into appropriate arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of the feasibility and necessity of establishing and operating a central reporting system and computerized telecommunications data center that is capable of receiving, storing, and retrieving data concerning all daily shipments of hazardous materials, that can identify hazardous materials being transported by any mode of transportation, and that can provide information to facilitate responses to accidents and incidents involving the transportation of hazardous materials. to consult with the Department of Transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, shippers and carriers of hazardous materials, manufacturers of computerized telecommunications systems, State and local emergency preparedness organizations (including law enforcement and firefighting organizations), and appropriate international organizations in conducting such study; and to submit, not later than 19 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, to the Secretary, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Public Works and Transportation of the House of Representatives a report on the results of such study. In addition to amounts authorized under section 115 of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act [see 49 U.S.C. 5127(a) ], there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation to carry out this subsection $350,000. to determine whether such a system and center should be established and operated by the United States Government or by a private entity, either on its own initiative or under contract with the United States; to determine, on an annualized basis, the estimated cost for establishing, operating, and maintaining such a system and center and for carrier and shipper compliance with such a system; to determine methods for financing the cost of establishing, operating, and maintaining such a system and center; to determine projected safety benefits of establishing and operating such a system and center; to determine whether or not shippers, carriers, and handlers of hazardous materials, in addition to law enforcement officials and persons responsible for responding to emergencies involving hazardous materials, should have access to such system for obtaining information concerning shipments of hazardous materials and technical and other information and advice with respect to such emergencies; to determine methods for ensuring the security of the information and data stored in such a system; to determine types of hazardous materials and types of shipments for which information and data should be stored in such a system; to determine the degree of liability of the operator of such a system and center for providing incorrect, false, or misleading information; to determine deadlines by which shippers, carriers, and handlers of hazardous materials should be required to submit information to the operator of such a system and center and minimum standards relating to the form and contents of such information; to determine measures (including the imposition of civil and criminal penalties) for ensuring compliance with the deadlines and standards referred to in paragraph (9); and to determine methods for accessing such a system through mobile satellite service or other technologies having the capability to provide 2-way voice, data, or facsimile services. Not later than 25 months after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Nov. 16, 1990 ], the Secretary of Transportation shall review the report of the National Academy of Sciences submitted under subsection (b) and the results of rulemaking proceeding initiated under subsection (a) with respect to a central reporting system and computerized telecommunications data center and shall prepare and submit to Congress a report summarizing the report of the National Academy of Sciences and the results of such rulemaking proceeding, together with the Secretary’s recommendations concerning the establishment and operation of such a system and center and the Secretary’s recommendations concerning implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the National Academy of Sciences. In conducting the review and preparing the report under this subsection, the Secretary shall give substantial weight to the recommendations contained in the report of the National Academy of Sciences submitted under subsection (b). If the Secretary does not include in the report prepared for submission to Congress under this subsection a recommendation for implementation of a recommendation contained in the report of the National Academy of Sciences submitted under subsection (b), the Secretary shall include in the report to Congress under this subsection the Secretary’s reasons for not recommending implementation of the recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences.” Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Nov. 16, 1990 ], the Secretary of Transportation shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding on the feasibility, necessity, and safety benefits of requiring carriers involved in the hazardous materials transportation industry to establish continually monitored telephone systems equipped to provide emergency response information and assistance with respect to accidents and incidents involving hazardous materials. Additional objectives of such proceeding shall be to determine which hazardous materials, if any, should be covered by such a requirement and which segments of such industry (including persons who own and operate motor vehicles, trains, vessels, aircraft, and in-transit storage facilities) should be covered by such a requirement. Not later than 30 months after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Nov. 16, 1990 ], the Secretary of Transportation shall complete the proceeding under this section and may issue a final rule relating to establishment of continually monitored telephone systems described in subsection (a).”