# Veolia ES Technical Solutions, L.L.C. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 12-0003
- **title:** Veolia ES Technical Solutions, L.L.C. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2012-02-28
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 12-0003 response to Veolia ES Technical Solutions, L.L.C. concerning 172.101.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-12-0003.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-12-0003.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-12-0003
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2011/120003.pdf
**body:**

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U.S. Department
of Transportation
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety
Administration FEB 2 8 2012
1200 New Jersey Ave, S E
Washington, DC 20590
Mr. Tom Baker
Director, Environment and Transportation
Veolia ES Technical Solutions, L.L.c.
1 Eden Lane
Flanders, NJ 07836
Reference No.: 12-0003
Dear Mr. Baker:
This is in response to your December 22, 2011 letter questioning the guidance provided by
this office in interpretation 08-0123. You believe the interpretation does not accurately
reflect the applicability of § 172.101(c)(9) of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR)
to shipments of PCB wastes.
Your understanding of the HMR's definition of "hazardous waste" is correct; however,
your belief that interpretation 08-0123 is inconsistent with the HMR and other previously
issued interpretations is not accurate.
Interpretation 08-0123 does not, as you suggest, state that PCB wastes, when manifested,
should have the word "waste" preceding the basic description. Rather, it simply states that
if a hazardous waste manifest is required under the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) as specified in 40 CFR Part 262, then § 172. 101(c)(9) of the HMR specifies that if
the word "waste" is not included in the hazardous material description, for transportation
by highway and rail, the proper shipping name for the hazardous waste must include the
word "waste" preceding the proper shipping name.
In summary, the § 172. 101 (c)(9) requirement for the word "waste" to precede the proper
shipping name applies only to those materials subject to the hazardous waste manifest
under the EPA regulations specified in 40 CFR Part 262. Section 172.101(c)(9) does not
apply to other materials, such as PCB wastes, that may be required to be shipped using the
hazardous waste manifest under regulations other than 40 CFR Part 262.
I trust this satisfies your inquiry. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.
el~lrH'
Senior Regulatory Advisor
Standards and Rulemaking Division

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veOllA
December 22, 2011
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Attn: PHH-10
U.S. Department of Transportation
East Building
1200 New Jersey Avenue S.E.
Washington DC 20590-0001
RE: Request for Interpretation Regarding Adding the word "Waste" to Shipping Descriptions
for Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) wastes
To Whom It May Concern:
Veolia ES Technical Solutions, LLC. (Veolia) is an environmental services company that
frequently is involved with the shipment of PCB wastes for disposal. Recently, Veolia was
made aware of an interpretation letter issued by DOT regarding the use of the word "waste"
preceding the shipping description when manifesting PCB wastes (October 23, 2008 letter from
USDOT to Mark Baron; Ref 08-0123). Veolia believes that this interpretation letter was issued
in error and is requesting that USDOT provide a correction as to the applicability of
172.101(c)(9) to shipments of PCB wastes.
As defined in the HMR, a "hazardous waste" is any material that is subject to the hazardous
waste manifest requirements ofthe EPA as specified in 40 CFR Part 262 (see § 171.8). The
scope of Part 262 is stated in 262.10 as applying only to hazardous wastes as defined in 261.3
(that is, RCRA hazardous wastes). Therefore by USDOT referencing Part 262 they are only
applying this shipping name requirement to RCRA hazardous wastes. Materials that are not
subject to the EPA manifest requirements according to Part 262 of 40 CFR are not hazardous
wastes under the HMR. Thus, use of the word "waste" preceding the basic description indicates
that the material is a federally regulated hazardous waste in 40 CFR Part 262 and therefore only
those materials that are regulated by USEPA as a hazardous waste and subject to Part 262
manifest requirements should include the word IIwaste" in the proper shipping name.
Waste PCBs are not regulated in Part 262 and are therefore not considered to be RCRA
hazardous wastes. Rather PCB wastes are regulated for disposal under the TSCA regulations in
40 CFR Part 761. Although 40 CFR 761.207 does require that certain PCB wastes be shipped
using the uniform hazardous waste manifest, this requirement does not trigger the DOT
requirement to precede the shipping description with the word "waste".

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veOllA
Numerous previously issued DOT interpretations on this subject have clearly limited the
requirement to add the word "waste" to RCRA wastes only. However the USDOT interpretation
issued on October 23, 2008 to Mark Baron of Canton, Michigan, that states that PCB wastes
when manifested should have the word "waste" preceding the basic description. "eolia
believes that this interpretation was issued in error and as a result requests that USDOT provide
new clarification on the use of the word "waste" in the shipping description for PCB wastes.
Your written response to this request is greatly appreciated. If you require any further
information regarding this request please feel free to contact me at tom.baker@veoliaes.com
or 973-691-7330.
Thank you,
Tom Baker
Director, Environment and Transportation
Veolia ES Technical Solutions, L.L.c.
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