# Presentation: 100153

## Research in Hazardous Materials Transportation – New Cooperative Research Program 

- John Allen, Battelle
- FHWA Talking Freight Series
- October 19, 2006

## Topics for Discussion

- TRB Special Report #283 “Cooperative Research for Hazardous Materials Transportation, Defining the Needs and Converging on Solutions”
- Congressional Legislation – Section 7131 of SAFETEA-LU
- Early Program Development and Status

## TRB Special Report 283Cooperative Research forHazardous Materials TransportationDefining the Need, Converging on Solutions

- _Sponsors_:  RSPA, FMCSA, FRA, USCG
- _Charge_:
- Assess need* *for a national cooperative research program for hazmat transportation
- Examine options for program finance, governance, and management commensurate with need and character of hazmat sector
- Offer practical advice on whether and how to pursue a cooperative research program for hazmat transportation.

## Process

- NRC appointed 14-member study committee with expertise in:
- Hazmat shipping, transportation, research management, risk analysis, enforcement, emergency planning and response
- Met 3 times from April to September 2004
- Stakeholder workshop to identify shared research needs and program options:
- >60 participants from public and private sectors, state, local, federal agencies

## Structure of Report

- Overview of Hazmat Sector
- Current Federal Research Related to Hazmat Transportation
- Identification of Shared Research Needs (public-private, interagency, and inter-jurisdictional) enterprise
- Insights from Other Cooperative Research Programs
- Options for Program Finance, Governance, Management
- Envisioned Program and Recommended Next Steps

## Findings

- Hazmat concerns becoming more varied and complex
- safety, environment, and security
- traffic growth, changing traffic patterns and transport environment
- public is less tolerant of risk
- Risk management is public and private effort
- Involves carriers from all modes, shippers from all industries
- state and local gov’t, emergency responders
- >dozen federal agencies
- all have need for good information to coordinate decisions
- Few means available for entities to work together to find solutions to shared and related problems
- federal agency research is “mission-specific”
- gaps in solving problems that cut across missions

## Conclusion

- There is a Growing Need for Cooperative Research
- Research to support consistent and effective policymaking and regulation
- Research to support planning and preparing for emergencies
- Research to support first response

## Report Availability

**Cooperative Research for Hazardous Materials Transportation: Defining the Need, Converging on Solutions**
**Trb.org. Go to: **_**[Recently Released TRB Publications](http://www.trb.org/news/search_news.asp?day=30&t=2::Recently%20Released%20%20TRB%20%20Publications)**_ **Subjects:** _[Freight](http://www.trb.org/news/search_news.asp?day=30&subject=17)_**TRB Publication:** _[TRB Special Report](http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_browse.asp?id=12)_ #283
- _Staff Contact_:
- Tom Menzies
- TRB, National Academies
- 202-334-1837
- tmenzies@nas.edu

## Congressional Legislation – SAFETEA-LU 

**SEC. 7131. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESEARCH PROJECTS.**
- (a) IN GENERAL.-The Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration shall enter into a contract with the National Academy of Sciences _to carry out the 9 research projects called for in the 2005 Special Report 283_ of the Transportation Research Board entitled ''Cooperative Research for Hazardous Materials Transportation: Defining the Need, Converging on Solutions''. In carrying out the research projects, the National Academy of Sciences shall consult with the Administrator.
- (b) REPORT.-Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a _report on the need to establish a cooperative research program on hazardous materials transportation._
- (c) FUNDING.-Of the amounts made available by section 5101(a)(1) of this Act, _$1,250,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2009_ shall be available to carry out this section.

## Result of Legislation

- Congress essentially established an HM Studies Program, not a full-fledged CRP
- TRB named to administer the HM Studies Program
- DOT called to make report to Congress on the need for an HMCRP
- $1.25 million authorized for four years to complete the HM Studies
- HM Studies Program consists of the 9 studies named in SR 283 and the legislation

## #1 Assessment of Opportunities to Integrate Safety and Security Measures for Hazmat Transportation

- Objectives:
- Identify areas where safety and security measures are compatible and may complement each other
- Identify areas where safety and security measures may conflict with each other
- Determine differences in responding to a traditional incident vs. a terrorist event
- Outline comprehensive approach to hazmat transportation
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $500k-$1 million/18-36 months

## #2 Data on Traffic and Highway Geometric Characteristics in Large Truck Crashes for Use in Risk Analysis 

- Objectives:
- Compile existing data on relationship between large truck crashes and highway features
- Determine usefulness of these data in performing risk analysis
- Propose centralized large truck crash data base
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $500k/24  months

## #3 Recommendations for Development of Conditional Release Probablities for Bulk Containers In Accidents

- Objectives:
- Provide documented recommendations on possible design and funding alternatives for nationwide system to collect and analyze performance data of intermodal bulk containers.
- Develop conditional release probabilities for various container design specifications
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $75-100k/12  months

## #4 Development of Correlation Between Incident Risks and Consequences to Aid in Decision-Making Models

- Objectives:
- Determine components of a model to validate risk and consequence analysis of highway hazmat transport
- Make adaptable to routing and regulatory analyses
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $250k/18  months

## #5 Development of an Environmental Hazard Assessment System for Hazmat Transportation

- Objectives:
- Identify the key parameters that should be used to determine the environmental hazards of a given material
- Develop a methodology for an environmental hazard index that provides an accurate estimation of relative hazards
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $1 million/36  months

## #6 Recommendations for Commercial Transportation Incident and Commodity Flow Studies 

- Objectives:
- Provide accurate data for the evaluation of hazmat transport incident rates and release probabilities
- Prepare documented recommendations for collection of nationwide commercial transport accident frequencies and traffic volumes for improved risk assessment
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $500k/24  months

## #7 Detailed Information for Conducting Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Studies 

- Objectives:
- Provide information for state and local agencies on methods and information systems that can be used to estimate hazmat commodity flows in their jurisdiction
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $300k/18  months

## #8 National Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Capability Assessment 

- Objectives:
- Determine location and quality of response coverage for hazmat incidents
- Identify geographic locations where coverage is inadequate
- Develop cost-effective strategies for improving response to acceptable levels
- Create a more systematic and efficient approach for allocation government funding to response needs
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $500k/24 months

## #9 Transportation Emergency Response Guidelines for Hazardous Materials 

- Objectives:
- Provide a consistent guideline document for use by emergency responders and handlers for managing hazmat incidents in transportation
- Define roles and responsibilities of carriers and shippers in the event of an incident
- Provide procedures that are consistent across all modes
- Estimated Cost/Schedule: $500-650k/24 months

## Early Program Planning for HM Studies Program

- TRB has received the contract and the funding from DOT for FY06 – after administrative costs, approximately $900k to be available for research projects.
- TRB is now organizing the Oversight Panel consisting of key stakeholder organizations – 12 person panel
- First Oversight panel meeting to be held in late November
- Will decide on priorities among the nine studies and further define scope of the studies
- First RFPs planned for Jan/Feb, 07 – TRB will be forming Technical Review Panels for each project

## Participation in TRB HM Studies Program

- HM Studies Program, FY06-09
- Possible memberships in Technical Project Panels for the 9 specific projects to be funded
- Bid on RFP opportunities to be released by TRB
- If the HM Studies Program grows into a full-fledged, annually funded CRP -
- Annual solicitation for research ideas in hazmat transportation – similar to annual call for research in NCHRP and TCRP programs.