[PHOTO: (Left to right) VOHMA Administrator Lara Currie, VOHMA Technical Consultant John Currie, PHMSA Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety Ted Willke, PHMSA Governmental Affairs Specialist Deborah Hinz, PHMSA Hazardous Materials International Standards Director Duane Pfund, PHMSA Deputy Administrator Krista Edwards, PHMSA Transport Regulations Specialist Kevin Leary, and PHMSA Hazardous Materials Eastern Region Chief Colleen Abbenhaus get a close look at cargo off-loading at the Global Marine Terminal.]

As guests of the International Vessel Operators Hazardous Materials Association (VOHMA), PHMSA Deputy Administrator Krista Edwards joined other U.S. DOT modal administration and U.S. Coast Guard representatives in a site visit June 6 of both the APM Terminal and Global Marine Terminal facilities in Newark, N.J. The visit allowed hazardous materials safety regulators and enforcers to gain a better understanding of potential impediments shippers and carriers face in the transportation of hazardous materials.

The exchange focused on the potential use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) as a method for the transfer of hazardous materials paper documentation. EDI is the industry system and process by which shipping documents are exchanged electronically between modal carriers (e.g., vessel operator to the railroads).

The visit also allowed for the discussion of ways to enhance the seamless and efficient transportation of hazardous materials, reduce congestion, to ensure the important flow of commodities vital to the nation’s economy.

PHMSA has agreed to partner with VOHMA and other carrier organizations like the American Trucking Association, American Association of Railroads and
the International Air Transport Association. These partnerships will help remove unnecessary impediments and facilitate the use of electronic shipping documents while enhancing the quality and efficiency of hazard communication for emergency responders.

PHMSA’s primary goals are to seek out and implement reliable and efficient solutions, including E-Government approaches, to streamlining modal requirements for communicating hazards and the contents of hazardous mate rial shipments to expedite the movement of goods.

VOHMA is an international organization comprised of representatives of the ocean common carriers of the world dedicated to improving the understanding and uniform application of rules and regulations governing maritime hazardous materials — dangerous goods transportation. Collectively, VOHMA members safely transport over 85 percent of the ocean-borne container traffic in the U.S. trades.

With the State of Alaska playing a vital role in supporting America’s efficient and reliable energy supply, PHMSA is implementing a more comprehensive and effective approach to reducing risks to oil and gas production and transportation.

As a start, this past May PHMSA entered into an agreement with Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources to better coordinate regulatory jurisdictions and actions for oil and natural gas production and transportation facilities within the State’s borders.

The agreement helps to relinquish any gaps in oversight and reduce the possibility for any duplication of effort by each agency.

“Protecting the safe and reliable transport of energy from Alaska is essential to continuing economic growth and meeting the nation’s goal of energy independence,” said DOT Acting Deputy Secretary and PHMSA Administrator Thomas Barrett. “This partnership will help us to identify, assess, and address potential risks to the oil and gas transportation infrastructure – allowing us to prevent system failures before they occur.”

Barrett and other PHMSA executive team members visited Alaska in early June to meet with Alaska officials to discuss the agreement, delineate roles and responsibilities regarding regulatory jurisdiction, and participate in the Joint Pipeline Office’s executive council meeting.

[PHOTO: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline]

During recent testimony on Capitol Hill to address the actions of BP Exploration Alaska, Inc., to prevent future pipeline failures, PHMSA Chief Safety Officer Stacey Gerard reiterated PHMSA’s efforts in Alaska. Gerard explained that the agency’s jurisdiction over the transportation of oil and gas products covers only part of a vast system of oil and gas operations.

“For the most effective oversight, we believe insights on improved safety, environment, and reliability of performance will be derived from a holistic systems perspective — looking at all oil and gas operations through the same lens. We foresee good opportunity for progress through improved coordination of our programs,” Gerard stated.

Alaska contains over 4,600 miles of pipelines that produce and deliver about ten percent of America’s energy products to the lower 48 states. The 800 mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline System alone continues to transport roughly 800,000 barrels of oil per day.

[PHOTO: PHMSA Administrator Thomas Barrett]

As we move into summer, the PHMSA team continues to expand our working relationships with state partners and maintain focus on ensuring the safety of our fellow citizens.

Events in Alaska, including pipeline corrosion shutdowns on the North Slope, highlighted the need for that state’s oversight agencies and PHMSA to implement more coordinated oversight. Working with state partners is one of the best ways to get the job done.

We are expanding our work in Alaska with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Natural Resources, and the Joint Pipeline Office. We also moved two positions to Anchorage to help address issues with this key element of the national energy infrastructure.

Lithium batteries continue to be an issue of concern and encouragement. It seemed for a while you could not open a newspaper or watch the evening news without hearing about another hazmat incident involving lithium batteries. In an enterprise approach to this hazmat safety issue, PHMSA and the Portable Rechargeable Battery Association brought together representatives from 80 battery manufactures, testing laboratories and standards organizations to exchange thoughts and ideas on regulations, standards and understanding the root causes of lithium battery incidents. In this way, we hope to identify and advance solutions to battery safety.

I am encouraged where lithium battery technology is taking us. In May, I witnessed the demonstration at DOT headquarters of a totally electric automobile powered only by a revolutionary lithium-ion energy storage system. This car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about four seconds and drive around 200 miles on only one charge. I look forward to seeing how far technology will take us in the use of alternative energy and thereby decreasing dependence on fossil fuels.

I also want to thank everyone for helping with the Headquarters move. We are up and running smoothly in South East Washington, D.C. thanks to your great work.

In the span of twelve years, PHMSA International Transportation Specialist Shane Kelley advanced from a temporary summer intern position answering phones in the Hazardous Materials Safety Office to defending regulatory position papers as a member of the U.S. delegation to the 31st Session of the U.N. Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods in Geneva, Switzerland.

“My career path at the U.S. DOT has been somewhat providential,” Kelley said modestly. “My advice to anyone just starting out in the Federal government
is to seize every available opportunity to learn, and to dialogue with others who have more experience.”

At the U.N. Sub-Committee Session held July 2-6, Kelley contributed to two U.S. hazardous materials issues: (1) harmonizing requirements for the transport of consumer commodities — common household goods like hairspray, perfume, and paint — which may meet the strict definition of a hazardous material but pose a relatively low risk in transportation; and (2) forging improvements to the regulatory requirements for the transport of lithium batteries.

Progress made in achieving international consensus on the consumer commodities issue is a major breakthrough, resulting in a reduction in costs to industry while enhancing safety and hazard communication for emergency responders. In addition, Kelley was pleased that a U.S. paper providing an analysis of the root causes of incidents involving lithium batteries was well-received by members of the Sub-Committee. Discussions generated by the paper led to an agreement to review the provisions of the U.N. Model Regulations to identify potential improvements to enhance safety of these types of batteries by all the modes of transportation. Kelley finds time for other interests when not globe trotting for PHMSA. Fluent in Spanish, he participates in church-sponsored humanitarian outreach efforts assisting in the building of or phanages in Mexico, and more recently with hurricane reconstruction projects in New Orleans.

Are you ready to help lead PHMSA towards its objective of becoming a model agency for the 21st century? What can PHMSA do to help you develop the right skills and leadership training to meet your professional goals? PHMSA’s two new Federal Women’s Program Co-Managers, Tonya Schreiber and Felicia Boyd, want to hear from you.

The PHMSA Federal Women’s Program, sponsored by the PHMSA Office of Civil Rights, exists to address employment issues and concerns related to equal opportunity and career progression for women. Boyd explained that as stewards for the program, the co-managers wish to create a forum that encourages and inspires PHMSA women to achieve success to their fullest potential.

"We have a lot of ideas," Schreiber added. "But we want to make sure that the activities we plan are on target to serve the needs of PHMSA women. That is why we are hoping to get a large response to our on-line survey." The survey is available through the DOT network at the following link: http://www.actionet.com/surveys/wsb.dll/5/Fed_Women_Prog.htm.

The "Training Today, Leaders Tomorrow" leadership training will take place July 16-20, at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. For details on the training and for registration information, click on web link http://www.fewntp.org/ or call PHMSA Federal Women’s Program Co-Managers, Felicia Boyd (x64994) or Tonya Schreiber (x61634).

With May 31, 2007, marking the 30year anniversary of the completion of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline that runs from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, Alaska, PHMSA Eastern Region General Engineer/ Inspector Syed Shere took time to fondly reflect on his early days working the rural landscape of Alaska.

“Hired as a geotechnical engineer, I worked on the heat transfer systems installed in the Vertical Support Members supporting the 48-inch diameter, above ground pipeline sections and the pipeline that transited the Danali Fault area,” said PHMSA General Engineer/Inspector Syed Shere. Upon completion of the project, Shere was assigned to a monitoring team which kept an eye on pipeline operations during the early phases of pipeline operations. He stayed on with Alyeska as an operations engineer until 1980. Shere joined PHMSA in 2003.

[Sketch of a Vertical Support Member]

Building the Alyeska pipeline presented many design and construction challenges to engineers, two of which are noteworthy: (1) heat pipes to retain the permafrost, and (2) design and construction considerations to accommodate earthquakes.

[PHOTO: Acting DOT Deputy Secretary and PHMSA Administrator Thomas Barrett (right) views the electrical power system of the Tesla Roadster ESS, while a company representative explains the new lithium ion battery powered system.] Battery powered automobiles are at the cutting edge of use in transportation. On May 24 some of this new technology was on display in the center courtyard of the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters building in Washington, DC, as several automotive companies showcased their lithium -ion, hydrogen fuel cell, and hybrid powered vehicles.

The clear center of attention was the bright red Tesla Motors’ Tesla Roadster ESS powered by lithium-ion batteries. Also on display were the General Motors HydroGen3 fuel cell prototype alternative energy technology car and the Honda Motors Civic hybrid. On the horizon General Motors is advancing the design and testing of lithium-ion batteries for use in its Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid sport utility vehicle.

Totally electric, with acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in about 4 seconds and a driving range of 200 miles per charge, the revolutionary lithium-ion energy storage system (ESS) developed by Tesla Motors is considered by many in the automotive and battery industries to be a safe and reliable design. With numerous lithium-ion batteries aligned into a tightly packed system, the ESS was designed to prohibit heat transfer to other batteries should any individual battery cell fail.

The Bush Administration has identified the important challenges of energy security to include the search for alternative fuel vehicles and effectively addressing the is sue of global climate change. President Bush advanced a “10-in-20” energy initiative as part of the solution. Through new policies at the Federal, State, and local levels this presidential initiative will reduce by 20 percent America’s projected use of gasoline within 10 years.

New automotive technologies hold the promise of more energy independence through public acceptance of alternative fuel and battery-powered vehicles. It is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s mission to make certain that public safety remains paramount as transportation technologies advance.

[PHOTO: PHMSA Headquarters Hazmat Investigator Jason Williams conducting an incident investigation at Competitive Products Corporation, Tullytown, Pa.]

Following a January 2007 meeting in Des Plaines, Ill., with the Federal Aviation Administration counterparts, PHMSA hazardous materials investigators started a series of inspections of manufacturers and shippers of lithium batteries.

The goal of the inspections was to check that all lithium cells and batteries being transported to and within the United States were in full compliance with the current Hazardous Materials Regulations. Among other aspects of compliance, the PHMSA hazmat investigators are verifying that the cells and batteries are being subjected to the United Nations Manual testing, when required, and that the shipments are being properly packaged and classified.

PHMSA hopes that lessons learned from the field inspections and investigations will help to identify any new lithium battery issues and safety concerns so these can be addressed in future rule makings.

Partner on ERG Software

[PHOTO: PHMSA Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety Ted Willke (rt) and Dr. Donald W. King, NLM Deputy Director for Research and Education (left) sign the memorandum of agreement.]

PHMSA signed a memorandum of agreement on June 28 with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institute of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, establishing a collaborative relationship to provide the Emergency Response Guide book (ERG) as a computer software application on mobile devices for use by emergency responders.

The NLM developed a software application called the Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER) which also assists emergency responders respond to hazardous materials incidents. The ERG is one of the sources included in the Hazardous Substances Data Bank used in development of WISER. Wiser was developed as a stand-alone application for Pocket PCs, and Palm Pilots as well as for Windows-based laptops and desktops to include a web-based WISER version.

With the advance of portable personal technology, PHMSA received requests from emergency responders to provide a software application of the ERG. The answer came in the collaboration between PHMSA and NLM to provide a searchable and complete ERG into the WISER application.

This agreement is most noteworthy because NLM asked only that PHMSA include the most recent version of WISER on all ERG compact discs distributed to the first responder community in return for their development investment of the software.

The ERG is a guide published by PHMSA every four years that is designed to aid emergency first responders at the scene of a transportation incident involving hazardous materials to protect themselves and the general public. PHMSA distributes over two million copies free to fire fighters, police and other emergency services personnel across the nation.

For more information on the ERG, visit http://hazmat.dot.gov/. For information on WISER visit http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/

PHMSA’s pipeline safety mission is a large one. This safety mission cannot be met without the support and participation of pipeline stakeholder groups like the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR).

The United States has more than two million miles of pipelines that safely deliver trillions of cubic feet of natural gas and hundreds of billions of ton/miles of liquid petroleum products to industry and consumers each year.

PHMSA’s State pipeline safety partners, represented by NAPSR, shoulder a significant burden of oversight and enforcement over 90 percent of the total pipeline mileage, and play a vital role in the national pipeline safety program.

Each year, NAPSR holds five regional meetings, the most recent of which was held July 9-13 in New Orleans, La., and covered issues related to standardization of training for Federal and State inspectors and status on the American Public Gas Association’s Security Integrity Foundation training for small operators.

PHMSA State Programs personnel attend all of the regional meetings to guarantee effective communication with the State partners. These NAPSR regional meetings promote information exchange on pipeline technology, inspection techniques, operational problems, significant accidents, and innovative approaches for implementing the pipeline safety program. NAPSR submits annual resolutions on a variety of pipeline safety concerns of national scope for PHMSA consideration.

PHMSA further utilizes the State’s expertise on issues like operator qualifications, integrity management, drug and alcohol, damage prevention, and data collection and analysis to improve overall pipeline safety. NAPSR is currently helping to address the requirements of Pipeline Inspection Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006, such as the new initiatives on State Damage Prevention Grants.

[(Top Photo) PHMSA Administrator Thomas Barrett (center) presented members of the PHMSA Moving Team with incentive awards for their efforts assuring the agency’s efficient and seamless transition to the new DOT headquarters building.

[(Inset Photo) Moving Day – Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters (center) and PHMSA Administrator Thomas Barrett (left) were on hand to congratulate PHMSA’s employees on being the first to move into the new DOT headquarters building.

[HMpubreview Banner — PHMSA Launches Publications Review Webpage — HMpubsreview — Review and comment on harazdous material publications under development or on training materials being revised]

'Greater Transparency'

In June, PHMSA launched the HMPubsreview website: http://hazmat.dot.gov/HMpubsreview/index.html. The website is part of the DOT enterprise effort to allow the hazmat community to review new or revised publications, CD-ROMs, and other products before they are finalized and released. The endeavor will provide a finished product ready to meet the needs of the hazmat community.

April 23 was the go-live date for the newly enhanced enforcement section of PHMSA’s Stakeholder Communications website: http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/reports/enforce/Enforcement.html

This PHMSA effort to better organize and publicly communicate results from the Pipeline Safety Enforcement Program comes in response to the recently enacted Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006, and in fulfilling PHMSA Administrator Barrett’s direction to make the agency more date-driven, risk-focused and transparent.

"We recognize this transparency initiative will likely raise legitimate concerns and expectations from numerous stakeholders and participants," said Acting Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety Jeff Wiese. "PHMSA’s efforts at transparency will require our ongoing diligence to ensure that the data and information made available is complete and accurate."

Hazmat Loading and Unloading

On the same day that the U.S. Chemical Safety Board released a safety bulletin warning that some chlorine railcar transfer systems lack effective detection and emergency shutdown devices, PHMSA was advancing the search for solutions through sponsorship of a public workshop on the broader subject of risk reduction in the loading and unloading of hazardous materials.

The PHMSA public workshop held June 14 in Washington, DC, included a panel discussion of transportation industry and hazmat stakeholders to define the loading and unloading risk. Useful perspectives were offered and recommendations for industry best practices and operating standards were circulated.

"We consider the issue of loading and unloading of bulk hazmat a very serious one," stated Ted Willke, PHMSA Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety. "Our data indicates that one-quarter of all serious incidents involving bulk hazardous materials are related to loading and unloading operations."

Incidents of rail tank car releases of chlorine, like the one in Graniteville, NC, in January 2005, highlight the severe hazards to the public in the event of a chlorine rail tank car leak and the importance of transporting and transferring of this toxic chemical safely. PHMSA will seriously consider the recommendations of the Chemical Safety Board and is moving forward to better understand the root causes of accidents involving loading and unloading.

[PHOTO: Discarded Methyl Isothiocynate canisters identified as inhalation poison.

PHMSA Southern Region Chief John Heneghan and his team of hazardous materials professionals were quick to respond May 22 to a phone call reporting the suspected illegal disposal of hazardous residue packages in a dumpster behind the Wonder-Cutting, Inc., company office in High Point, NC.

"One of PHMSA’s regional inspectors, Marc Nichols, received the call regarding illegal dumping of packages coated with what appeared to be a hazardous residue," said Heneghan.

An employee of Wonder-Cutting, Inc., made the initial call to PHMSA’s Southern Region Office reporting that someone in a utility truck had illegally dumped several boxes that were labeled as "Copr-plastic Wood Preserving Compound" with Mitc-Fume, 97 percent Methyl Isothiocynate, as the active ingredient.

Heneghan was able to identify the product via an electronic Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) found on the internet as having poisonous by inhalation properties. When a company employee complained of difficulty breathing after having touched the packages, the PHMSA inspectors immediately made a long-distance telephone call for emergency medical response to the company’s office. Heneghan followed this up by forwarding the MSDS to the responding paramedics so that they would have information on the emergency and first aid procedures for the chemical, Methyl Isothiocynate.

PHMSA Hazardous Materials Inspector Edward Rastetter was diverted from a conference he happened to be attending 40 miles away from the incident location in order to assist the High Point Fire Department Hazmat Team with their investigation.

Simultaneously, PHMSA Southern Region personnel made notification phone calls to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the National Response Center to report the hazmat incident. Rastetter stated that at least one individual was treated on the scene for breathing problems, the entire facility had been evacuated, and everything was under the control of the on-scene commander of the High Point Fire Department.

As this matter is primarily an EPA enforcement issue, PHMSA inspectors turned over all documentation of this incident to the EPA CID.

For over five years PHMSA’s pipeline safety program has invested in research and development (R&D) projects that promise new innovative technologies to become some of the world’s best tools to help make pipelines safer and more reliable.

In July, PHMSA awarded a total of $6.8 million to technology companies for the development of eleven new pipeline welding and joining projects. The projects will enhance the overall strength and capability of pipeline sections when joined together, especially in Arctic regions and other areas where higher grade steels are used as pipe material. In addition to steel pipes, the projects also look to provide the same benefits for plastic pipelines, such as those used for natural gas distribution.

The R&D award program is a collaborative effort between PHMSA, the National Institute of Science and Technology and the pipeline industry to provide funding to selected companies that apply for pipeline safety technology grants.

The July investment brings PHMSA’s total award amount to over $31 million for R&D projects since the program’s inception in 2002. In addition to PHMSA’s investment, the program has received an additional $36.9 million in co-funding from industry partners to support a total of 100 projects with the objective of implementing technological improvements to pipelines for increased safety.

For more information on the program and specific project descriptions, visit the PHMSA R&D webpage at: http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/rd/.

Summer is hurricane season. Although, so far this year the United States impact of a severe hurricane, it is just one of several natural disasters and other man-made hazards that Americans can and should prepare for.

[Image: People Handling Emgergencies]

Personal preparedness is everyone’s concern. A little preplanning now can bring peace of mind and increased safety to you and your family if confronted with a real emergency. The daily news is rife with examples of Mother Nature at her extreme, like the recent flooding in Texas and Kansas or the forest fires in California and Idaho. But let us not forget the possibility of a terrorist or hazardous material accident or incident.

It is vital that you have plans in place to react to any kind of emergency. You can begin by considering the following:

Where you would go for shelter?

How you would get medical assistance?

What necessary items are recommended for inclusion in a 72-hour emergency kit

If the events of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 taught us anything, it is that in order to survive and thrive after calamity strikes you need to plan ahead. You can begin your search for information at http://dotnet.dot.gov/portal/site/dotnet, and the link to emergency information.

Another good resource of information is the Homeland Security Department’s “Ready America” website at http://www.ready.gov/america/index.html, for the basics of an emergency supply kit; how to compile a family emergency plan; and helpful links with information covering numerous threats. Also, check out the Federal Emergency Management Agency website, http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/, for an in-depth guide to citizen preparedness.

On June 8, PHMSA co-hosted with the Department of Energy a Federal government interagency working meeting in Washington, DC, on “Hurricane Preparedness and Energy Sector Reporting.” This meeting was attended by the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The meeting enabled agencies to get consistent, positive, and accurate information on energy sector disabilities that could be experienced following a catastrophic hurricane. Also, it engaged the participants in discussing just-in-time reporting, sources of data, and data exchanges.

On June 8, PHMSA co-hosted with the Department of Energy a Federal government interagency working meeting in Washington, DC, on “Hurricane Preparedness and Energy Sector Reporting.” This meeting was attended by the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The meeting enabled agencies to get consistent, positive, and accurate information on energy sector disabilities that could be experienced following a catastrophic hurricane. Also, it engaged the participants in discussing just-in-time reporting, sources of data, and data exchanges.

Several PHMSA senior staff toured the U.S. Army Material Command’s Logistics Support Activity (LOGSA) testing laboratory located in Tobyhanna, Pa., on June 21 to evaluate first-hand how hazardous materials packagings hold up to U.S. DOT testing standards.

PHMSA’s hazardous materials investigators routinely purchase UN-rated non-bulk and intermediate bulk containers from packaging manufacturers for independent compliance testing by LOGSA. In the past 11 years, PHMSA has supplied more than 510 packaging designs to LOGSA for testing. PHMSA shares the test results with the manufacturers and works with industry to improve packaging performance to assure hazardous materials transportation safety.

[PHOTOS: Dr. Ted Willke, PHMSA Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety, prepares to release a 55-gallon UN-rated steel drum for a drop test.

[PHMSA FOCUS LOGO]

U.S. Department
of Transportation
Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration

Office of Governmental, International
& Public Affairs
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Phone: (202) 366-4831 Fax: (202) 366-7431

PHMSA Administrator Thomas J. Barrett

Editor-in-Chief G. J. Delcambre
gordon.delcambre@dot.gov

Editor/Design Ruben Ingram
ruben.ingram@dot.gov

Reporter Damon Hill
damon.hill@dot.gov

Photographer Jerre Thomas
jerre.thomas@dot.gov

Check out PHMSA Focus online at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/news/newsletters.html

New Hires