HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: 1990 TRANSPORTATION UNIFORM SAFETY ACT--STATUS OF DOT IMPLEMENTING ACTIONS

This report discusses the status of the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) implementation of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Uniform Safety Act of 1990 (HMTUSA). The act was signed into law on November 16, 1990. In July 1991, responsibility for implementing various requirements of the law was delegated to three DOT Administrations--the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In summary, action to implement the act is either in process or planned for all sections except one that has been completed. Actions required by most of these sections do not have to be completed until fiscal year 1992 or 1993. In several instances, however, action was required but not taken in fiscal year 1991. Officials said that sufficient funds were not available to implement the act's requirements, particularly those for hiring additional hazardous materials inspectors and conducting various studies. They said that DOT's fiscal year 1991 appropriation was enacted and approved prior to passage of HMTUSA, and those funds were committed to other authorized activities. The act imposed many new requirements, some of which were accommodated by reallocating 1991 funds that had been budgeted for other purposes. Each of the agencies amended its fiscal year 1992 budget request to include funding for the HMTUSA requirements.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Briefing Report to the Chair, Subcommittee on Government Activities and Transportation, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives.
• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. General Accounting Office

  441 G Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20548
• Publication Date: 1991-11

Media Info

• Features: Appendices;
• Pagination: 11 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Appropriations; Finance; Financing; Hazardous materials; Implementation
• Identifier Terms: U.S. Federal Highway Administration; U.S. Federal Railroad Administration; U.S. Research and Special Programs Administration
• Old TRIS Terms: Hazardous materials transp uniform safety act 1990
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Finance; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00616487
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: GAO/RCED-92-55BR
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 30 1991 12:00AM