{"operation":"document","citation":"18-0043","title":"Ventura County District Attorney's Office — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2018-04-06","effective_on":null,"summary":"18-0043 response to Ventura County District Attorney's Office concerning 171.15, 171.16, 171.8, 173.1, 173.120, 173.121, 173.150, 173.21, 173.22, 173.24, 173.242, 173.243, 173.24a, 173.24b, 174.1, 177.804, 177.817, 177.834, 177.837.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-18-0043.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-18-0043.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-18-0043","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/2025-06/18-0043_0.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\n0\nU.S. Department\nof Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety\nAdministration\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, DC 20590\nMitchell Disney\nSenior Deputy District Attorney\nVentura County District Attorney's Office\nReference No. 18-0043\nDear Mr. Disney:\nThis letter is in response to your August 25, 2018, letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous\nMaterials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to flammable wastes exempt\nfrom Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) hazardous waste requirements. Specifically,\nyou ask whether a substance comprised of Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Wastes with\na flash point of less than 140 °F meeting the ignitability criteria for \"D001 Unlisted Hazardous\nWastes Characteristic oflgnitability,\" would be regulated by the United States Department of\nTransportation and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and\nif so, what specific regulatory and enforcement provisions would be implicated. You further\nexplain the material is transported in bulk packagings exceeding 119 gallons by public highway.\nEach vacuum or tanker truck contains between 75 and 120 barrels of hazardous materials, with\neach barrel carrying 42 gallons of hazardous materials.\nIn accordance with§ 173.22, it is the shipper's responsibility to properly classify a hazardous\nmaterial. This Office does not generally perform that function; However, based on the\ninformation you provided, a material with a flash point below 140 °F will be subject to the HMR\nas either a Class 3 flammable or combustible liquid per§§ 173.120 and 173.121.\nBulk packages of Class 3 flammable liquids are fully subject to all the requirements of the HMR.\nBulk packaging provisions for Class 3 flammable liquids are prescribed in§ 173.243 for Packing\nGroup I and§ 173.242 for Packing Groups II and III. The hazard communication requirements\nin 49 CFR Part 172, Subparts C through H apply. In addition, the registration requirements in\n49 CFR Part 107, Subpart G of this subchapter also apply.\nFor domestic transportation, a flammable liquid with a flash point at or above 37.8 °C (100 °F) that\ndoes not meet the definition of any other hazard class may be reclassed as a combustible liquid.\nThe HMR except combustible liquids from certain requirements, as described in§ 173.150(f).\nCombustible liquids are excepted from specification packaging, but packages must still comply\nwith the general packaging requirements of 49 CFR Part 173, Subpart B. Specifically, pursuant\nto§ 173.150(f)(3), a combustible liquid that is in a bulk packaging is not subject to the\nrequirements of the HMR except those pertaining to:\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\n• Shipping papers, waybills, switching orders, and hazardous waste manifests;\n• Marking of packages;\n• Display of identification numbers on bulk packages;\n• Placarding requirements of 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart F of this subchapter;\n• Reporting incidents as prescribed by § § 171.15 and 171.16 of this subchapter;\n• The requirements of§§ 173.1, 173.21, 173.24, 173.24a, 173.24b, 174.1, 177.804,\n177.817, 177.8340), and l 77.837(d) of this subchapter;\n• The training requirements of 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart H of this subchapter;\n• Emergency response information requirements of 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart G ohhis\nsubchapter; and\n• Registration requirements of 49 CFR Part 107, Subpart G of this subchapter.\nWhile this mixture meets the definition of a hazardous material, it would not be considered a\nhazardous substance or hazardous waste. The definition of \"hazardous substance\" in § 171.8\nexcludes \"crude oil or any fraction thereof which is not otherwise ·specifically listed or\ndesignated as a hazardous substance.\" The definition of \"hazardous waste\" in § 171.8 is limited\nto materials that require a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest by the EPA under regulations\n• promulgated under the authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The\nguidance you reference from EPA exempts producers and transporters from a hazardous waste\nmanifest, and therefore, the HMR requirements specific to \"hazardous wastes\" would not apply.\nHowever, such an exemption would have no impact on PHMSA's authority to regulate the\ntransportation in commerce of a hazardous material as defined in § 171.8.\nI hope this information is helpful. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.\nSincerely,\n�:f-:#���\nT. Glenn Foster\nChief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention\nStandards and Rulemaking Division\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nLehman\nCombustible liqiud\n18-0043\nCL\nET SUSFIL\nAT\nOFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY\nCOUNTY OF VENTURA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA\nDistrict Attorney\nGREGORY D. TOTTEN\nChief Assistant District Attorney\nJANICE L. MAURIZI\nChief Deputy District Attorney\nMICHAEL K. FRAWLEY\nCriminal Prosecutions\nChief Deputy District Attorney\nW. CHARLES HUGHES\nAugust 25, 2017\nAdministrative Services\nChief Deputy District Attorney\nMICHAEL R. JUMP\nVictim & Community Services\nMs. Laura Ulmer\nSpecial Assistant District Attorney\nMICHAEL D. SCHWARTZ\nUnited States Department of Transportation\nJustice Services\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.\nPHC-10, Room E26-301\nWashington, D.C. 20590-0001\nMICHAEL BARAY\nBureau of Investigation\nChief Investigator\nRe:\nRequest for Letter of Interpretation from Office of Legal Counsel\nfor Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\nDear Ms. Ulmer:\nThe Ventura County District Attorney's Office respectfully requests a formal letter of\ninterpretation from the Office of Legal Counsel for Pipeline and Hazardous Materials\nSafety Administration (PHMSA), a division of the United States Department of\nTransportation (DOT). For the purposes of answering the query below, please assume the\nfollowing to be true:\nThis matter concerns the transportation of Oil and Gas Exploration and\nProduction Wastes (E&P Wastes) over public highways from the point of origin\nto a facility where storage, treatment and disposal occur. The E&P Wastes in\nquestion constitute \"[wjastes generated during the exploration, development,\nand production of crude oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy [that] are\ncategorized by EPA as 'special wastes' and are exempt from federal hazardous\nwaste regulations under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery\nAct (RCRA).\"\n16.html\nOctober\ngas.pdf.\nSPECIAL PROSECUTIONS\n5720 Ralston Street, Suite 300, Ventura, CA 93003-4010 • http://vcdistrictattorney.com • (805) 662-1750 • Fax (805) 662-1770\n\n<<<PAGE 4>>>\n\nMs. Laura Ulmer\nAugust 25, 2017\nPage 2\ntanker trucks with average volumes of 75-120 barrels of hazardous materials,\nwith each barrel constituting 42 gallons of material/waste.\nAnalytical laboratory test results demonstrate flammable and ignitable\ncharacteristics pursuant to 49 CFR 173.120 (a)\nand are designated as a Hazardous Substance in Table 1 to Appendix A to 49\nCFR 172.101, to wit - D001 Unlisted Hazardous Wastes Characteristic of\nIgnitability.\nThe Ventura District Attorney requests that PHMSA's Office of Legal Counsel provide a\nformal letter of interpretation analyzing and concluding whether the described\ntransportation activities would be subject to classification and regulation by DOT and\nPHMSA, and, if so, what specific regulatory and enforcement provisions would be\nimplicated.\nThank you for your assistance and, if there is any ambiguity in the assumptions submitted\nor query posed, please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience.\nVery truly yours,\nMITCHELL F. DISNEY\nSenior Deputy District Attorney\nMFD/po","truncated":false,"body_characters":7558}