# Radian International — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** 99-0071
- **title:** Radian International — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation
- **source type:** guidance
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** guidance
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 1999-05-28
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** 99-0071 response to Radian International concerning 171.8.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-99-0071.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-99-0071.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-99-0071
- **source url:** https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/1999/990071.pdf
**body:**

<<<PAGE 1>>>

" =
471.8
of Transportation
U.S. Department
Washington, D.C
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
20590
Special Programs
Research and
MAY. 28 1999
Administration
Mr. Andrew N. Romach
Reference.
No.
99-0071
Radian International
Regulatory Compliance Manager
Post Office Box 13000
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Dear Mr. Romach:
This is in response to your letter of March 5, 1999, requesting
clarification of the Hazardous Materials Regulations HMR; 49 CFR
parts 171-180) Specifically, you ask whether the following
scenario would be considered "storage incidental to
transportation."
operates a "switching yard" where railcars are unhooked from the
You state that a national railroad company
locomotive and moved into a side yard to await the next leg of
the railcars are waiting temporarily in the switching yard from
transportation to their final destination. You also state that
minutes to a few days
and
are covered by a through bill of
lading while they remain in the switching yard.
Based on the above scenario, the answer to your question is yes.
"Storage incidental to transportation" means any temporary
offered for transportation to a carrier until it reaches its
storage that may occur between the time a hazardous material is
intended destination and is accepted by the consignee..
would include temporary storage of a shipment during this time
period at a carrier's terminal, consolidation, or storage
Facility, or on a dock area waiting for loading.
is, if a
shipment
is consigned to the end user of the hazardous material
at the time the shipment is offered for transportation, most
storage between offering and delivery to the end user is
temporary storage.
to a storage facility rather than to an end user, then the
It the shipment is consigned by the offerer
shipment is out of transportation once received and unloaded at
tacon once
the storage facility.
we are currently reviewing the applicability of the HMR to
certain transportation-related activities, such
as storage of
hazardous materials, under a supplemental advance notice of
proposed rulemaking
(SANPRM) published under Docket HM-223,
entitled "Applicability of the Hazardous Materials Regulations to
Loading, Unloading and Storage" " The SANPRM is available for
viewing on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov under RSPA Docket
No. 98-4952.
990071

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I hope this information is helpful.
assistance, please contact us.
If we can be of further
Sincerely,
Hattie z mitchel
Chief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention
Hattie L. Mitchell
Office Of Hazardous Materials Standards
2400.
4 30
12.33
third

<<<PAGE 3>>>

Betts
RADIAN INTERNATIONAL
A DAMES & MOORE GROUP COMPANY
Solo Storage Incia
Mailing Address:
to Transp.
March 5, 1999
Post Office Box 13000
North Carolina 27709
Research Triangle Park,
Mr. Ed Mazzullo, Director
Physical/Shipping Address:
Office of Hazardous Material Standards
Morrisville, North Carolina 27560
|1600 Perimeter Park Drive
Research and Special Programs Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
919 461 1415 Fax
919 461 1100 Tel
400 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20509-0001
99-0071
FAX: (202) 366-3012
Dear Mr. Mazzullo:
I am writing to you to request a written regulatory interpretation concerning whether or not the
following transportation situation would be considered "storage incident to transportation."
A national railroad company operates a "switching yard" where railcars are
unhooked from the locomotive and moved into a side yard to await the next leg of
transport to their final destination. These railcars are waiting temporarily in the
switching yard from minutes to a few days, but most likely they would not remain
onsite for more than one week. These railcars are unhooked primarily to change
locomotives/train routes. These detached railcars are covered by a through bill of
lading while they remain in the switching yard
When I discussed this transportation situation with Mr. Delmer Billings, he stated that because
these railcars remain under a through bill of lading and because they are not being stored on a
spur of leased track, they would be considered "storage incident to transportation" He agreed
that if these railcars contain DOT hazardous materials, they would remain subject to the DOT
hazardous material regulations from their point of initial loading until they arrive at their final
destination.
This question arose because any railcar that is considered "storage incident to transportation"
would not meet the definition of stationary source found in 40 CFR $68.3 and would not require
a Risk Management Plan (RMP) under the Clean Air Act as stated in EPA's Accidental Release
Prevention rule. I appreciate your clarification of this transportation situation.
If you have any questions concerning this transportation situation, please call me at (919) 461-
1220.
Andrew N. Romac
Regulatory Manager
Engineering Services in North Carolina are performed through Radian Intermationals wholly owned subsidiary, Radian Engineering. Inc.
Offices Worldwide
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