S. 1952, Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2011

S. 1952 contains private-sector mandates, as defined in UMRA. The bill would require owners and operators of facilities to comply with uniform procedures for safely loading and unloading hazardous materials on and off motor vehicles and rail cars with tanks. Currently, owners and operators must comply with several state, local, and federal regulations related to handling, loading, and unloading hazardous materials. According to some industry sources, having to comply with one national standard as compared to standards that vary by state could decrease compliance costs in some cases. In addition, PHMSA has already initiated a rulemaking to establish a standard for loading and unloading hazardous materials on and off motor vehicles with cargo tanks that would be similar to the standards required in the bill. Because much of the industry already complies with requirements that are similar to the bill’s requirements, CBO estimates that the incremental cost for facilities to comply with the mandates in the bill would fall below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($146 million in 2012, adjusted annually for inflation).