{"operation":"document","citation":"98-0120","title":"Amerigas Partners, L.P. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"1998-09-14","effective_on":null,"summary":"98-0120 response to Amerigas Partners, L.P. concerning 171.1.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-98-0120.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-98-0120.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-98-0120","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/1998/980120.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S. Department\nof Transportation\n400 Seventh Street, S.W.\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nResearch and\nspecial Programs\nAdministration\nSEP | 4 1998\nMs. Jean S. Konowalczyk\nRef. No. 98-0120\nAmerigas Partners, L.P.\nP.O. Box 965\nValley Forge, PA 19482\nDear Ms. Konowalczyk:\nThis is in response to your letter dated June 2, 1998, regarding clarification as to whether DOT\n4BA240 and 4BW240 cylinders utilized by non-commercial customers for personal use must be\nperiodically requalified as prescribed in the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts\n171-180).\nYour questions are paraphrased and answered as follows:\nQ1.\nMust DOT 4BA240 and 4BW240 cylinders utilized by non-commercial customers for personal\n•:.:\nuse (e.g., 20 pound cylinders used for propane gas grills) be periodically requalified or retested\nas specified in 49 CFR 173.34? Will the October 1, 1998 delayed compliance date for\nDocket HM-200 have any effect on this interpretation?\nAl.\nThe HMR govern the safe transportation of hazardous materials in intrastate, interstate and\nforeign commerce.\n• \"In commerce\" excludes from regulation the transportation of hazardous\nmaterials in a private vehicle where the material is for personal use. Thus, a cylinder utilized by\na non-commercial customer for personal use is not governed by the HMR.\nA final rule [Docket HM-200; 62 FR 1208; effective date 10/1/98], published in the Federal\nRegister on January 8, 1997, expanded the scope of the HMR to intrastate transportation. The\nrule had no impact on provisions of the HMR as to their applicability to non-commercial\nentities.\nQ2.\nIs a commercial enterprise prohibited from transporting a cylinder left by a customer with\npropane in it if the cylinder is in need of requalification? If the cylinder is beyond its retest date\nor not properly requalified, is an interstate commercial enterprise that conducts a cylinder\nexchange business (i.e., consumers bring empty 20 pound gas grill cylinders to a central\nlocation and exchange those cylinders for filled 20 pound gas cylinders) prohibited from\ntransporting the empty cylinders from the site of exchange at a retail store to its plant for\n:=*\nrequalification and filling those cylinders with propane?\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\n•\nA2.\nSections 173.34(e)(1)(ii) and 173.301(c) specify that a cylinder past its test date may not be\ncharged or filled with a hazardous material and transported in commerce unless that cylinder\nhas been inspected and retested. DOT specification cylinders (e.g., DOT 4BA240 and\n4BW240) containing a hazardous material (e.g., propane) for which the retest date has become\ndue need not be emptied to meet a testing schedule. The charged cylinder may remain in\nservice, and a commercial enterprise may transport those cylinders in commerce in compliance\nwith the HMR. However, after the cylinder has been emptied, it may not be charged and\nrefilled and offered for transportation in commerce until it has been properly inspected and\nretested in accordance with 49 CFR 173.34(e).\nI hope this satisfies your inquiry.\nSincerely,\nChief, Standards Development\nOffice of Hazardous Materials Standards\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nAmerigas.\nAmerica's Propane Company\nJune 2, 1998\nVia Telecopy - 202-366-3012\nand U.S. Mail\nMr. Edward T. Mazzullo\nDirector - Office of Hazardous Materials Standards\nU.S. DOT/RSPA (DHM-10)\n400 7' Street SW\nWashington, DC 20590-0001\nDear Mr. Mazzullo:\nThis is to request a clarification as to whether DOT 4 BA 240 and 4 BW 240 cylinders utilized by\nnon-commercial customers for personal use (for example, 20 pound cylinders used for propane\ngas grills) must be periodically requalified under the DOT regulations as set forth under 49 CFR\n§ 173.34.\nWill the October 1, 1998 delayed compliance date for HM-200 (expanding the scope of\nregulations to intrastate transportation) have any effect on this interpretation?\nFinally, where an interstate commercial enterprise conducts an exchange cylinder business, (that\nis, consumers bring empty 20 pound gas grill cylinders to a central location and exchange those\ncylinders for filled 20 pound cylinders) is the commercial enterprise prohibited from transporting\nempty cylinders from the site of the exchange at a retail store to its plant for requalification (if\nnecessary) and filling with propane where the cylinder is out of date or not properly requalifed?\nSimilarly, is the commercial enterprise prohibited from transporting a cylinder left by a customer\nwith propane in it, where the cylinder is in need of requalification?\nVery truly yours,\nJean S. Konowalczyk\nCounsel\nJSK/ab\nJsklletterslmazzullo.doc\nAmeriGas Partners, L.P.\nP.O. Box 965, Valley Forge, PA 19482 (610) 337-7000 FAX (610) 992-3258\n....","truncated":false,"body_characters":4695}