The FRA issued another extension of the Safety Plan requirement deadline date for certain passenger carrying railroads, allowing them more time to coordinate operations with the freight carriers whose tracks they largely operate over. The new extension runs until December 4th, 2018. A brand new Siemens SC-44 Charger passenger locomotive leads Amtrak train #507 south through Sumner, Washington during the unit’s first weekend of revenue service on Sunday, December 3rd, 2017. Photo by Nikki Burgess © 12/2017; all rights reserved.

As we roll into the holiday rush period, regulatory activity continues to be fairly slow—more time for all those last minute holiday projects, shopping, or travel, perhaps!  Be sure that whatever you do, you do it safely—holidays tend to make us a bit less careful as we all get busier.  At any rate—here’s what’s happening this week:

U.S. EPA

• The agency renewed its ICR for collection of information under the “Form R” reporting program.  This program mainly affects large chemical/petrochemical manufacturers, requiring them to report the location and amount produced of certain especially concerning chemicals under EPA guidelines.  See the renewal here.
• The agency published an NPRM that will extend by two calendar years the effective date of applicability of the to-be-revised “Waters of the United States” rule.  The rule, stayed by the courts in 2015, was further postponed for comprehensive review by the Trump administration.  The proposed date addition is intended to clarify that the rules in effect in 2015, prior to the introduction and stay of the new rule, will remain officially in effect for at least two years after any final action is taken in reference to the new rule.  See the action right here

OSHA

The agency published a delay to the new Form 300A Workplace Injury and Illness Data electronic reporting requirement for 2016 data.  The new deadline date is December 15^th.  See the delay and required actions after that date here.

FRA

The agency issued a year long stay for the requirement that some railroad operators develop and implement a system safety program.  This primarily impacts passenger operations, which frequently run alongside freight operations.  Meshing the two different system safety program types has proven more difficult that originally envisioned and the stay gives passenger operations an additional year to coordinate with their freight counterparts.  See the stay here.

IATA

The aviation industry’s transport group has released updated dangerous goods checklists for radioactive, non-radioactive, and dry ice packed materials.  These new checklists complement the 59^th Edition of the DGR, which becomes effective at the end of the month.  See this link for no-cost access to the checklist revisions

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