Incorporation by Reference; North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria; Hazardous Materials Safety Permits

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION <SUBAGY>Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration</SUBAGY> <CFR>49 CFR Part 385</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. FMCSA-2024-0073]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 2126-AC65</RIN> <SUBJECT>Incorporation by Reference; North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria; Hazardous Materials Safety Permits</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department of Transportation (DOT). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> FMCSA amends its Hazardous Materials Safety Permits (HMSPs) regulations to incorporate by reference the updated Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) handbook containing inspection procedures and Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC) for inspections of shipments of transuranic waste and highway route-controlled quantities (HRCQs) of radioactive material (RAM). The OOSC provide enforcement personnel nationwide, including FMCSA's State partners, with uniform enforcement tolerances for inspections. Currently, the regulations reference the April 1, 2023, edition of the handbook. Through this final rule, FMCSA incorporates by reference the April 1, 2024, edition. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Effective September 20, 2024. The incorporation by reference of certain material listed in this rule is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of September 20, 2024. Petitions for reconsideration of this final rule must be submitted to the FMCSA Administrator no later than September 20, 2024. </EFFDATE> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> David Sutula, Vehicle and Roadside Operations Division, FMCSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001, (202) 366-9209, <E T="03">MCPSV@dot.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> FMCSA organizes this final rule as follows: <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Availability of Rulemaking Documents</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. Executive Summary</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Abbreviations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IV. Legal Basis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">V. Discussion of Proposed Rulemaking and Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Proposed Rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Comments and Responses</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">VI. Section-by-Section Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">VII. Regulatory Analyses</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. E.O. 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review), E.O. 13563 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review), E.O. 14094 (Modernizing Regulatory Review), and DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Congressional Review Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Regulatory Flexibility Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Assistance for Small Entities</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Paperwork Reduction Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. E.O. 13132 (Federalism)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Privacy</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. E.O. 13175 (Indian Tribal Governments)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">J. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Availability of Rulemaking Documents</HD> To view any documents mentioned as being available in the docket, go to <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FMCSA-2024-0073/document</E> and choose the document to review. To view comments, click this final rule, then click “Browse Comments.” If you do not have access to the internet, you may view the docket online by visiting Dockets Operations at U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001, between 9 a.m. and 5p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 366-9317 or (202) 366-9826 before visiting Dockets Operations. <HD SOURCE="HD1">II. Executive Summary</HD> This final rule updates an incorporation by reference found at 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 385.4(b)(1) and referenced at § 385.415(b). The provision at § 385.4(b)(1) currently references the April 1, 2023, edition of CVSA's handbook titled “North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria and Level VI Inspection Procedures and Out-of-Service Criteria for Commercial Highway Vehicles Transporting Transuranics and Highway Route Controlled Quantities of Radioactive Materials as defined in 49 CFR part 173.403.” The CVSA handbook contains inspection procedures and OOSC for inspections of shipments of transuranic waste and HRCQs of RAM. The OOSC, while not regulations, provide enforcement personnel nationwide, including FMCSA's State partners, with uniform enforcement tolerances for inspections. The material is available, and will continue to be available, for inspection at the FMCSA, Office of Safety, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590 (Attention: Chief, Hazardous Materials Division) at (202) 493-0027. The document may be purchased from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, 99 M Street SE, Suite 1025, Washington, DC 20003, 202-998-1002, <E T="03">www.cvsa.org.</E> Eleven updates distinguish the April 1, 2024, handbook edition from the April 1, 2023, edition. The updates are all described in detail in the May 3, 2024, notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for this rule (89 FR 36742). The incorporation by reference of the 2024 edition does not impose new regulatory requirements. <HD SOURCE="HD1">III. Abbreviations</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CE Categorical Exclusion</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CFR Code of Federal Regulations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CVSA Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DOT Department of Transportation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FR Federal Register</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HMSP Hazardous Materials Safety Permit</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">HRCQ Highway Route Controlled Quantity</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NPRM Notice of Proposed Rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OOS Out-of-Service</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OOSC Out-of-Service Criteria</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PIA Privacy Impact Assessment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PTA Privacy Threshold Assessment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RAM Radioactive Material</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RFA Regulatory Flexibility Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">UMRA The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">U.S.C. United States Code</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">IV. Legal Basis</HD> Congress has enacted several statutory provisions to ensure the safe transportation of hazardous materials in interstate commerce. Specifically, in provisions codified at 49 United States Code (U.S.C.) 5105(d), relating to inspections of motor vehicles carrying certain hazardous material, and 49 U.S.C. 5109, relating to motor carrier safety permits (“HMSPs”), the Secretary of Transportation is required to promulgate regulations as part of a comprehensive safety program on HMSPs. The FMCSA Administrator has been delegated authority under 49 U.S.C. 113(f) and 49 CFR 1.87(d)(2) to carry out the functions vested in the Secretary of Transportation related to HMSPs. Consistent with that authority, FMCSA has promulgated regulations under 49 CFR part 385, subpart E to address the congressional mandate on HMSPs. Those regulations are the underlying provisions to which the material incorporated by reference discussed in this rule is applicable. Congress authorized DOT by statute to promote safe transportation of hazardous materials in interstate commerce by prescribing, among other things, regulations and minimum standards for practices, methods, and procedures for inspections and safety permits for motor vehicles carrying certain hazardous materials (49 U.S.C. 5105(d); 49 U.S.C. 5109). The purpose of this rule is to incorporate by reference the 2024 edition of the CVSA handbook outlining the OOSC and inspection procedures for commercial highway vehicles transporting RAMs. The provisions within the CVSA handbook are intended to operate holistically in addressing a range of issues necessary to ensure the safe transport of hazardous materials. However, FMCSA recognizes that certain provisions focus on unique topics. Therefore, FMCSA finds that the various provisions within the CVSA handbook would be severable and the remaining provision or provisions within the handbook would continue to operate functionally if any one or more provisions were invalidated and any other provision(s) remained. <HD SOURCE="HD1">V. Discussion of Proposed Rulemaking and Comments</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD2">A. Proposed Rulemaking</HD> FMCSA published an NPRM on May 3, 2024 (89 FR 36742). Because the incorporation by reference found at § 385.4(b)(1) and referenced at § 385.415(b) references the outdated April 1, 2023, edition of CVSA's “North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria and Level VI Inspection Procedures and Out-of-Service Criteria for Commercial Highway Vehicles Transporting Transuranics and Highway Route Controlled Quantities of Radioactive Materials as defined in 49 CFR part 173.403,” the NPRM proposed to incorporate by reference the current April 1, 2024, edition. Eleven updates distinguish the April 1, 2024, edition from the 2023 edition. Each of the changes was described and discussed in detail in the NPRM. Generally, the changes serve to clarify or provide additional guidance to inspectors regarding uniform implementation and application of the OOSC, and none is expected to affect the number of OOS violations cited during Level VI inspections. The incorporation by reference of the 2024 edition does not change what constitutes a violation of FMCSA regulations. <HD SOURCE="HD2">B. Comments and Responses</HD> FMCSA solicited comments concerning the NPRM for 30 days ending June 3, 2024. No comments were submitted. <HD SOURCE="HD2">C. Final Rule</HD> As FMCSA received no comments on the NPRM, the Agency finalizes the incorporation ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 22k characters. 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