# Canadian Defense Liaison Staff — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 10-0110
- **title:** Canadian Defense Liaison Staff — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2010-07-20
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 10-0110 response to Canadian Defense Liaison Staff concerning 173.56.
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- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0110.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-10-0110
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2010/100110.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
JUL 2a 20'10
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590
Col. D.T. Erickson
Defense Cooperation Attache
Canadian Defense Liaison Staff
501 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20001
Ref. No.: 10-0110
Dear Colonel Erickson:
This responds to your May 3,2010 letter requesting clarification ofthe approval of explosives
under the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Specifically, you
request infonnation on the process to obtain approval to transport explosives within the United
States and whether Canadian Forces may use vendor issued explosive control numbers for
subsequent transportation within the U. S.
In your letter, you described two processes by which Canadian Forces purchase munitions. The
first method involves a foreign military sales process approved by the Department of State and
the Department ofDefense (DOD). The second process entails commercial sales in which
Canadian Forces procure munitions directly from a U.S. or a foreign vendor.
Prior to transport, Class 1 (explosives) materials must be classed and approved by the Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in accordance with § 173.56.
PHMSA will assign an EX number specific to that explosive and prescribe a suitable packing
method. An explosive that has been examined and classed by the DOD in accordance with
§ 173.56(b )(2), may only be transported by the DOD. Explosives examined and classed by the
DOD and subsequently sold through the foreign military sale process require approval by
PHMSA prior to transport in the U.S.

<<<PAGE 2>>>

Previously approved explosives not examined and classed by the DOD with a valid EX approval
issued by PHMSA may be subsequently transported in the U.S. provided you have not made any
changes to the explosive and you comply with all of the requirements outlined in the approval.
If there is no previous vendor approval, the Canadian Defense Ministry may provide its own
classification document together with supporting technical information (e.g. drawings, chemical
composition) and request an EX approval.
I hope this answers your inquiry. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact
this office.
Sincerely,
tl~Bef?U
Chief, Standards Development
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards

<<<PAGE 3>>>

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' National Defense
1+. " Defence na1ionaJe
Canadian Defence Etat-major de liaison des
Liaison Staff Forces canadiennes
(Washington) (Washington)
501 Pennsylvania Ave., N. W. Washington. D.C.. U.S.A.• 20001
10'- 0 II 0
3 May 2010
Mr. Edward T. Mazzullo
Director, Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
U.S. DOTIPHMSA (PHH-lO)
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE East Building, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Mr Mazzullo,
On 23 April 2010, I hosted a meeting that was attended by members ofthe Department
of Defence, Ms Harpreet Singh and Mr Brian Vos ofthe Department of Transport and
representatives from the international defence community at the Embassy of Canada in
Washington, D.C. It was a great opportunity to discuss issues related to the
implementation of Country Specific Explosives Control numbers. One issue that
required additional Clarity was the policy relating to the customer's use of vendorissued'Explosives
Control numbers. We were asked to submit a request for
interpretation letter to PHMSA.
The Canadian Forces buy munitions using two processes. The first, through the Foreign
Military Sales (FMS) process as approved by the Department of State and the
Department of Defence. We area,ware that the Director Security Cooperation Agency
is in the process of working with you to develop clear instructions as to how to obtain a
Cdlintry Specific Explosive Control Number when munitions are purchased through an
FMS Case. '
The second method is Direct Commercial Sales where we procure directly from a
vendor in the USA or from another country. Could you confirm that the protocol that
the Canadian Forces should use and in particular, can we use the explosive control
number as issued by the vendor for subsequent transport back into the USA?
Thanks in advance for your support and if you or your staffs have questions, please
contact me at 202-682-7771 '01' bye-mail atdavid.erickson@forces.gc.ca: .
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C.C.
LtCol Brad Tannehill, CJCS J4 DoD
Dr Jerry Ward, DDESB DoD
Mr Todd Hughes, DoD
Mr Ryan Paquet, DoT
Ms Harpreet Singh, DoT
Mr Brian Vos, DoT
Mr Duane Pfund, DoT
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