Document ID: PHMSA-2011-0294-0004
Agency: phmsa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Administrative Determination of Preemption: New Jersey Regulations on Transportation of Regulated Medical Waste
Posted Date: 2013-12-12T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 239 (Thursday, December 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75672-75676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29604]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2011-0294 (PD-35(R)]

New Jersey Regulations on Transportation of Regulated Medical 
Waste

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice of administrative determination of preemption.

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    Applicable Federal Requirements: Federal hazardous material 
transportation law, 49 U.S.C. 5101 et seq., and the Hazardous Materials 
Regulations (HMR), 49 CFR parts 171-180.
    Modes Affected: All transportation modes
SUMMARY: Federal hazardous material transportation law preempts the 
following requirements in the New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.) 
because the requirements are not substantively the same as the 
requirements in the HMR:
    1. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.10(a) that generators must separate into 
different containers before transport sharps, fluids (greater than 20 
cc), and other regulated medical waste;
    2. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.11(d) which allows a generator to ship 
oversized medical waste without placing it in a packaging as required 
by the HMR;
    3. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.14 that the words ``Medical Waste'' or 
``Infectious Waste'' must be labeled on the outside of the package when 
there is untreated regulated medical waste;
    4. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A:15 that each ``generator shall mark each 
individual container of regulated medical waste in accordance with all 
applicable Federal regulations. . . . ,'' and that the markings must 
include details of the transporter's name, the date of shipment, the 
intermediate handler's name, and other specific information;
    5. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.19 and those provisions in 7:26-3A.31 which 
require the use of a specific ``tracking form'' to accompany shipments 
of regulated medical waste that are prescribed for either the generator 
or the transporter;
    6. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.28 that, when transferring between 
transporters, each transporter must place a water resistant tag below 
the generator's marking on the outer surface of the container with the 
transporter's name, solid waste registration number, and date of 
receipt; and
    7. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.30 which requires that a vehicle used to 
transport regulated medical waste must have: 1) the name of the 
transporter; 2) the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 
(NJDEP) solid waste transporter registration number; and 3) either the 
words ``Medical Waste'' or ``Infectious Waste'' on two sides and the 
back of the cargo-carrying body.
    8. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.45, to the extent that it requires rail 
transporters to comply with the transporter requirements of 7:26-3A.28 
and 7:26-3A.30.
    9. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.46 which requires a specific tracking form to 
accompany shipments of regulated medical waste for rail transporters.
    Federal hazardous material transportation law does not preempt the 
following requirements because they do not create an obstacle in 
complying with the HMR.
    1. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.21(a)(1) to the extent that it requires the 
generator to retain a copy of the shipping paper for at least three 
years from the date the regulated medical waste was accepted by the 
transporter;
    2. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.21(a)(2) to the extent that it requires the 
generator to retain a copy of any exception report for at least three 
years after the day the exception report was submitted;
    3. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.22 to the extent that it requires the generator 
of regulated medical waste to file an exception report with the state 
when a transporter and/or destination facility notifies the generator 
of any discrepancy between the shipment as accepted by the initial 
transporter and delivered to the destination facility;
    4. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.32 to the extent that it requires the 
transporter to deliver the entire quantity of regulated medical waste 
to the proper party listed on the tracking form;
    5. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.33 to the extent that does not require a 
particular form to be used to consolidate the multiple shipments;
    6. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.34 to the extent that it requires that the 
transporter of regulated medical waste to retain a copy of the shipping 
paper for at least three years from the date the regulated medical 
waste was accepted by the next party; and
    7. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.41 to the extent that it requires intermediate 
handlers and destination facilities to certify that they had received 
the listed regulated medical waste.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alisa Chunephisal, Office of Chief 
Counsel, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 
DC 20590-0001 (Tel. No. 202-366-4400).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Application

    The Healthcare Waste Institute (Institute) has applied to PHMSA for 
a determination whether Federal hazardous material transportation law, 
49 U.S.C. 5101 et seq., preempts requirements in the N.J.A.C. on the 
transportation of regulated medical waste in commerce regarding 
packaging, labeling and marking of containers, use of a specific 
``tracking form,'' submission of ``exception reports,'' and marking of 
transport vehicles.
    In summary, the Institute contends that these requirements are 
preempted because they are (1) not ``substantively the same as'' 
requirements in the

[[Page 75673]]

Federal hazardous material transportation law or the HMR, 49 CFR parts 
171-180, on the transportation of regulated medical waste, or (2) 
otherwise an ``obstacle'' to accomplishing and carrying out Federal 
hazardous material transportation law and the HMR, as the NJDEP 
requirements are enforced and applied.
    On November 10, 2011, PHMSA published a notice in the Federal 
Register inviting interested persons to comment on the Institute's 
application. 77 FR 39567. The only comment was submitted by the 
American Trucking Associations, Inc. (ATA). ATA echoes the position of 
the Institute that New Jersey's tracking form, marking, and labeling 
requirements fall within the ``enumerated `covered subjects''' that 
``requires that the state regulation be `substantively the same as' the 
federal requirements.'' ATA also states that ``requiring different 
labels and marking for hazardous materials packagings and motor 
vehicles in transportation creates an unworkable situation [and] . . . 
motor carriers cannot be expected to modify package and vehicle 
markings and labels depending upon the states or municipalities they 
travel through.'' ATA opines that ``New Jersey's use of a unique 
hazardous materials shipping paper impacts safety by creating potential 
confusion for motor carriers and emergency responders. Moreover, the 
use of unique hazardous material shipping papers by states and 
municipalities creates a compliance nightmare for motor carriers.''
    In a June 8, 2012 telephone conversation, staff attorneys in the 
New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety advised an attorney in 
my office that the New Jersey regulations dated from 1989 when the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a two-year 
demonstration program, which expired in 1991. See the discussion in 
Preemption Determination (PD) No. 23(RF), ``Morrisville, PA 
Requirements for Transportation of `Dangerous Waste,' '' 66 FR 37260-61 
(July 17, 2001), decision on petition for reconsideration, 67 FR 2948 
(Jan. 22, 2002), and PD-29(R), ``Massachusetts Requirements on the 
Storage and Disposal of Infectious or Physically Dangerous Medical or 
Biological Waste,'' 69 FR 34715, 34717 (June 22, 2004). As explained in 
those decisions, DOT regulates the transportation of regulated medical 
waste as a Division 6.2 hazardous material. PD-23(RF), 66 FR at 37260-
61; PD-29(R), 69 FR at 34717. See also 49 CFR 173.134(a)(5). However, 
New Jersey's regulations appear to treat regulated medical waste in a 
manner similar to hazardous waste subject to the Resource Conservation 
and Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.

I. Federal Preemption

    A United States Court of Appeals has found that uniformity was the 
``linchpin'' in the design of the Federal laws governing the 
transportation of hazardous materials. Colorado Pub. Util. Comm'n v. 
Harmon, 951 F.2d 1571, 1575 (10th Cir. 1991). Section 5125 of Title 49 
U.S.C. contains express preemption provisions. Section 5125(a) provides 
that a requirement of a State, political subdivision of a State, or 
Indian tribe is preempted--unless the non-Federal requirement is 
authorized by another Federal law or DOT grants a waiver of preemption 
under Sec.  5125(e)--if

    (1) complying with a requirement of the State, political 
subdivision, or tribe and a requirement of this chapter, a 
regulation prescribed under this chapter, or a hazardous materials 
transportation security regulation or directive issued by the 
Secretary of Homeland Security is not possible; or
    (2) the requirement of the State, political subdivision, or 
tribe, as applied or enforced, is an obstacle to accomplishing and 
carrying out this chapter, a regulation prescribed under this 
chapter, or a hazardous materials transportation security regulation 
or directive issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security.\1\
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    \1\ These two paragraphs set forth the ``dual compliance'' and 
``obstacle'' criteria which are based on U.S. Supreme Court 
decisions on preemption. Hines v. Davidowitz, 312 U.S. 52 (1941); 
Florida Lime & Avocado Growers, Inc. v. Paul, 373 U.S. 132 (1963); 
Ray v. Atlantic Richfield, Inc., 435 U.S. 151 (1978).

    Subsection (b)(1) of 49 U.S.C. 5125 further provides that a non-
Federal requirement concerning any of the following subjects is 
preempted--unless authorized by another Federal law or DOT grants a 
waiver of preemption--when the non-Federal requirement is not 
``substantively the same as'' a provision of Federal hazardous material 
transportation law, a regulation prescribed under that law, or a 
hazardous materials security regulation or directive issued by the 
Department of Homeland Security: \2\
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    \2\ To be ``substantively the same,'' the non-Federal 
requirement must conform ``in every significant respect to the 
Federal requirement. Editorial and other similar de minimis changes 
are permitted.'' 49 CFR 107.202(d). Additional standards apply to 
preemption of non-Federal requirements on highway routes over which 
hazardous materials may or may not be transported and fees related 
to transporting hazardous material. See 49 U.S.C. 5125(c) and (f).

    (A) the designation, description, and classification of 
hazardous material.
    (B) the packing, repacking, handling, labeling, marking, and 
placarding of hazardous material.
    (C) the preparation, execution, and use of shipping documents 
related to hazardous material and requirements related to the 
number, contents, and placement of those documents.
    (D) the written notification, recording, and reporting of the 
unintentional release in transportation of hazardous material.
    (E) the designing, manufacturing, fabricating, inspecting, 
marking, maintaining, reconditioning, repairing, or testing a 
package, container, or packaging component that is represented, 
marked, certified, or sold as qualified for use in transporting 
hazardous material.

    Under 49 U.S.C. 5125(d)(1), any person (including a State, 
political subdivision of a State, or Indian tribe) directly affected by 
a requirement of a State, political subdivision or tribe may apply to 
the Secretary of Transportation for a determination whether the 
requirement is preempted. The Secretary of Transportation has delegated 
authority to PHMSA to make determinations of preemption, except for 
those concerning highway routing (which have been delegated to the 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration). 49 CFR 1.53(b).
    Section 5125(d)(1) requires notice of an application for a 
preemption determination to be published in the Federal Register. 
Following the receipt and consideration of written comments, PHMSA 
publishes its determination in the Federal Register. See 49 CFR 
107.209(c).
    Preemption determinations do not address issues of preemption 
arising under the Commerce Clause, the Fifth Amendment or other 
provisions of the Constitution, or statutes other than the Federal 
hazardous material transportation law unless it is necessary to do so 
in order to determine whether a requirement is authorized by another 
Federal law, or whether a fee is ``fair'' within the meaning of 49 
U.S.C. 5125(f)(1). A State, local or Indian tribe requirement is not 
authorized by another Federal law merely because it is not preempted by 
another Federal statute. Colorado Pub. Util. Comm'n v. Harmon, 951 F.2d 
at 1581.
    In making preemption determinations under 49 U.S.C. 5125(d), PHMSA 
is guided by the principles and policies set forth in Executive Order 
No. 13132, entitled ``Federalism'' (64 FR 43255 (Aug. 10, 1999)), and 
the President's May 20, 2009 memorandum on ``Preemption'' (74 FR 24693 
(May 22, 2009)). Section 4(a) of that Executive Order authorizes 
preemption of State laws only when a statute contains an express 
preemption provision, there is other clear evidence Congress intended 
to preempt State law, or the exercise of State authority directly 
conflicts with

[[Page 75674]]

the exercise of Federal authority. The President's May 20, 2009 
memorandum sets forth the policy ``that preemption of State law by 
executive departments and agencies should be undertaken only with full 
consideration of the legitimate prerogatives of the States and with a 
sufficient legal basis for preemption.'' Section 5125 contains express 
preemption provisions, which PHMSA has implemented through its 
regulations and which PHMSA applies in making administrative preemption 
determinations.

III. Discussion

A. Packaging and Segregation Requirements

    The Institute raises concerns with two provisions which (1) allow 
generators to ship oversized medical waste without a packaging or 
container and (2) require generators to separate sharps, fluids 
(greater than 20 cc), and other regulated medical waste.
    The HMR authorize the following packagings for the transportation 
of regulated medical waste: (1) UN standard non-bulk packagings 
conforming to the requirements of 49 CFR part 178 at the Packing Group 
II performance level; (2) large packagings constructed, tested, and 
marked in accordance with the requirements of part 178 provided the 
waste is contained in inner packagings conforming to the requirements 
of paragraph (e) of Sec.  173.197; and (3) non-specification bulk 
packaging such as a wheeled cart or bulk outer packaging (BOP) provided 
the waste is contained in inner packagings conforming to the 
requirements of paragraph (e) of Sec.  173.197. In addition, regulated 
medical waste transported by a private or contract carrier is excepted 
from the specific packaging requirements of Sec.  173.197, if packaged 
in a rigid non-bulk packaging conforming to the general packaging 
requirements of Sec. Sec.  173.24 and 173.24a and packaging 
requirements specified in 29 CFR 1910.1030, provided the material does 
not include a waste concentrated stock culture of an infectious 
substance. Sharps containers must be securely closed to prevent leaks 
or punctures. Thus, in all cases, the HMR require that, regardless of 
size, regulated medical waste may be transported only in a closed 
packaging or container.\3\
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    \3\ In the preamble to its August 14, 2002 final rule making 
``Revisions to Standards for Infectious Substances,'' PHMSA's 
predecessor agency, the Research and Special Programs 
Administration, responded to a comment that it had proposed to 
``permit regulated medical waste to be transported in large open-
top, roll-off containers. This is not the case. The non-
specification bulk packagings authorized for the transportation of 
RMS must be closed with a lid or closure to prevent intrusion of 
water into the packaging or release of contents from the 
packaging.'' 67 FR 53118, 53125.
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    In comparison, New Jersey's regulations are less prescriptive than 
the HMR. First, N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.5 defines ``oversized regulated 
medical waste'' as ``medical waste that is too large to be placed in a 
plastic bag or standard container,'' without defining the term 
``standard container.'' More importantly, N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.11(d) 
explicitly allows ``oversized regulated medical waste'' to be 
transported without any form of packaging or containment, in stark 
contrast to the authorized bulk packagings required in Sec.  173.197.
    The HMR also contain specific packaging requirements for sharps and 
liquids. 49 CFR 173.197(b) and (e)(3), respectively, provide that: ``A 
non-bulk packaging used as a sharps container must be puncture-
resistant for sharps and sharps with residual fluid as demonstrated by 
conducting the performance tests in part 178. . . . Sharps containers 
must be securely closed to prevent leaks or puncture in conformance 
with the instructions provided by the packaging manufacturer.'' 
Moreover, ``[s]harps transported in a Large Packaging, Cart, or BOP 
must be packaged in a puncture-resistant inner packaging (sharps 
container).'' As for liquids, Sec.  173.197(e)(2) requires that:

    Liquid regulated medical waste or clinical waste or (bio) 
medical waste transported in a Large Packaging, Cart, or BOP must be 
packaged in a rigid inner packaging conforming to the provisions of 
subpart B of this part. Liquid materials are not authorized for 
transportation in inner packagings having a capacity of greater than 
19 L (5 gallons).

    The HMR do not provide a quantity exception. In contrast, the 
N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.10(a) ``requires generators to separate regulated 
medical waste into different containers before transport, i.e., sharps, 
fluids (greater than 20 cc), and other regulated medical waste.'' 
Moreover, N.J.A.C. 7.26-3A.11(d) provides that the packages or 
containers for sharps must be puncture resistant while the packages for 
fluids (quantities greater than 20 cubic centimeters) in packaging or 
containers must be break-resistant and tightly lidded or stoppered.
    Because N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.10(a) and N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.11(d) cover 
``the packing, repacking, [and] handling . . . of hazardous material'' 
and they are not substantively the same as the HMR, these regulations 
are preempted.

B. Labeling and Marking Requirements

    The HMR require that an ``INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCE'' label must be 
affixed on packages that contain regulated medical waste unless the 
packaging is marked with the ``BIOHAZARD'' marking and is being 
transported by a private or contract carrier. 49 CFR 172.400(a), 
172.432, and 173.134(c)(1)(i). The ``INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCE'' label is a 
white panel with black text. 49 CFR 172.432. The HMR do not 
differentiate when a label is needed based on whether there is treated 
or untreated medical waste nor do they define untreated medical waste. 
N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.5, however, defines ``untreated regulated medical 
waste'' as waste ``that has not been treated to substantially reduce or 
eliminate its potential for causing disease.'' N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A:14 
requires that only a container of untreated regulated medical waste 
must have the label ``Medical Waste,'' ``Infectious Waste,'' or display 
the universal biohazard symbol on the outside of the container. The 
N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.14 requirement is not substantively the same as the 
HMR and therefore is preempted.
    Additionally, the HMR require that the inner packagings authorized 
for large packagings, carts, and bulk outer packagings containing 
regulated medical waste ``must be durably marked or tagged with the 
name and location (city and state) of the offeror, except when the 
entire contents of the Large Packaging, Cart, or BOP originates at a 
single location and is delivered to a single location.'' 49 CFR 
173.197(e). Moreover, the markings for the outer packaging for 
regulated medical waste of non-bulk packages and bulk packages require 
only the proper shipping name and UN identification number while the 
inner packaging for non-bulk packages is required to only be marked 
with the ``BIOHAZARD'' symbol. 49 CFR 172.301 and 172.304. Bulk 
packagings that contain infectious substances must be marked with an 
orange panel containing the UN identification number and the 
``BIOHAZARD'' symbol. 49 CFR 172.323 and 172.332.
    However, New Jersey requires that all packages containing treated 
regulated medical waste must to be marked in accordance with N.J.A.C. 
7:26-3A:15. According to N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.5, ``treated regulated 
medical waste'' means ``regulated medical waste that has been treated 
to substantially reduce or eliminate its potential for causing disease, 
but has not yet been destroyed.'' New Jersey's 7:26-3A:15 requires that 
each ``generator shall mark each individual container of regulated 
medical waste in accordance with all applicable Federal regulations. . 
. .,'' and also requires additional markings such as the transporter's 
name, the date

[[Page 75675]]

of shipment, the intermediate handler's name. Thus, because 7:26-3A:15 
requires additional markings that the HMR does not, it is not 
substantively the same and therefore preempted.
    Further, N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.28 requires that each transporter place a 
water resistant tag below the generator's marking on the outer surface 
of the container when transferring between transporters with the 
transporter's name, solid waste registration number, and date of 
receipt. The HMR do not require such markings or labels; therefore, 
N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.28 is preempted.

C. Tracking Form Requirements

    The HMR require that any person offering a hazardous material must 
provide a shipping paper describing the material by:
     The identification number, the proper shipping name, the 
hazard class, and the packing group of the material, 49 CFR 
172.202(a)(1)-(4);
     Total quantity of the material covered by one description, 
49 CFR 172.202(c);
     Emergency response telephone number, 49 CFR 172.604; and
     Shipper's certification that the material is ``properly 
classified, described, packaged, marked and labeled and are in proper 
condition for transportation . . .'' 49 CFR 172.204(a)(1).
    However, except for shipments of hazardous waste for which the EPA 
hazardous waste manifest is required (see 49 CFR 172.205), a hazardous 
material shipping paper need not be in any specific form or format, nor 
must it be signed by the transporter or recipient of the shipment. In 
contrast, N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.19 and 7:26-3A.31 require the use of a 
specific ``tracking form'' for shipments of regulated medical waste, 
which must be prepared in accordance with the instructions found in 
these regulations. These regulations for use of the tracking form also 
differentiate between ``NJ Treated'' versus ``NJ Untreated'' medical 
waste (which the HMR do not) and further require that the transporter 
and destination facility sign the tracking document.
    As explained in ``Massachusetts Requirements on the Storage and 
Disposal of Infectious or Physically Dangerous Medical or Biological 
Waste,'' a requirement that the transporter sign the shipping paper is 
preempted since it is not substantively the same as the federal 
requirement. Because New Jersey's tracking form requires a signature 
not required by the HMR, it is not substantively the same as the 
requirements of the HMR, and is preempted.\4\
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    \4\ The Institute takes issue with N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.45 and 7:26-
3A.47 in its application. We believe that the Institute meant to 
cite 7:26-3A.45 and 7:26-3A.46 since those both relate to rail 
transporters while 7:26-3A.47 pertains to alternative or innovative 
technology authorization. Since N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.45 and 7:26-3A.46 
are similar in substance to the regulations pertaining to highway 
transporters discussed in this section, they are also preempted. 
Additionally, we read the intent of N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.32 and 7:26-
3A.41 as ensuring that the hazardous materials reach the intended 
recipient on the shipping document; to that extent, these provisions 
are not preempted.
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    Additionally, N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.33 allows a transporter to 
consolidate multiple shipments of waste to a new tracking form. The HMR 
does not have a specific regulation about consolidation of shipments 
onto a new tracking form. Insofar as N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.33 does not 
require a particular form to be used to consolidate the multiple 
shipments, it is not preempted by the HMR.
    N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.21(a)(1) requires that the generator of the 
regulated medical waste keep a copy of the tracking form for at least 
three years from the date waste is accepted by the transporter and 
7:26-3A.34 requires the same of the transporter from the date the waste 
is accepted by the next party. On the other hand, Federal hazardous 
material transportation law and the HMR require an offeror of a 
hazardous material to retain a copy of the shipping paper for two 
years, and a carrier to retain a copy of the shipping paper for one 
year. 49 U.S.C. 5110, 49 CFR 172.201(e), 177.817(f).\5\ I do not find 
that requirements specifying the time period for which an offeror or 
transporter must retain a copy of the shipping documents to be within 
the scope of the ``preparation, execution, and use of shipping 
documentation'' or ``requirements related to the number, contents, and 
placement of those documents'' in 49 U.S.C. 5125(b)(1)(C). Nor is there 
information to show that the longer retention period in N.J.A.C. 7:26-
3A.21(a)(1) and 7:26-3A.34 is any obstacle to accomplishing the shorter 
retention periods in the HMR. The fact that the State's requirement is 
more stringent does not, by itself, appear to constitute an obstacle 
for the offeror and transporter meeting the two-year and one-year 
retention periods in the HMR, respectively. Therefore, as applied to 
requirements to retain copies of shipping papers, N.J.A.C. 7:26-
3A.21(a)(1) and 7:26-3A.34 are not preempted.
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    \5\ A person who offers a hazardous waste for transportation 
must retain a copy of the shipping paper for three years. 49 CFR 
172.201(e).
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D. Exception Reports

    N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.22 requires the generator of the waste to file an 
exception report with the state when a transporter and/or destination 
facility fails to return a signed copy of the tracking form to the 
generator while N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.21(a)(2) requires the generator to 
retain a copy of all exception reports submitted for at least three 
years after the day the exception report was submitted. The Institute 
asserts that the regulations ``create confusion because shippers may 
think that an exception report relieves them of failure to have a 
shipping paper on file.'' The HMR do not provide a parallel 
requirement. While these requirements relate to transportation of the 
regulated medical waste, they apply to the generator of the waste and 
not the transporter. There is not sufficient basis to show that New 
Jersey's regulations confuse shippers into thinking that they are not 
required to retain a copy of the shipping paper as required by 49 CFR 
172.201(e). The HMR clearly describe the recordkeeping requirements of 
the shipping papers without any contingencies. New Jersey cannot 
require a specific tracking form as discussed above, but the 
requirements to submit and retain the exception report in 7:26-
3A.21(a)(2) and 7:26-3A.22 do not appear to create an obstacle in 
complying with the HMR. Therefore, these requirements are not 
preempted.

E. Marking a Motor Vehicle With Additional Information

    The HMR require that each self-propelled commercial motor vehicle 
(CMV) be marked with the legal name or a single trade name of the motor 
carrier operating the self-propelled CMV. 49 CFR 390.21 (as 
incorporated in the HMR by 49 CFR 177.804(a)). Additionally, the HMR 
require two types of markings for the outside of a vehicle depending on 
whether the regulated medical waste is contained in packaging which is 
bulk or non-bulk. 49 CFR 172.332 and 172.336 require that vehicles 
containing non-bulk packages of a single hazardous materials with an 
aggregate gross weight of the hazardous material is 4,000 kg (8,820 
pounds) or more to be marked with the identification number on either 
orange panels or on a plain white square-on-point display configuration 
having the same outside dimensions as a placard. In accordance with 49 
CFR 172.323(b), when a bulk packaging contained in or on a transport 
vehicle or freight container is marked with a ``BIOHAZARD'' marking 
which is not

[[Page 75676]]

visible, then the transport vehicle or freight container must be marked 
on each side and each end with a ``BIOHAZARD'' marking.
    In contrast, N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.30 requires that the vehicles that 
transport regulated medical waste have: (1) The name of the 
transporter; (2) the NJDEP solid waste transporter registration number; 
and (3) either the words ``Medical Waste'' or ``Infectious Waste'' on 
two sides and the back of the cargo-carrying body. The N.J.A.C. marking 
requirement is not substantively the same as the HMR and is therefore 
preempted.

IV. Ruling

    Federal hazardous material transportation law preempts the 
following requirements in the New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.) 
because the requirements are not substantively the same as the 
requirements in the HMR:
    1. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.10(a) that generators must separate into 
different containers before transport sharps, fluids (greater than 20 
cc), and other regulated medical waste;
    2. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.11(d) which allows a generator to ship 
oversized medical waste without placing it in a packaging as required 
by the HMR;
    3. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.14 that the words ``Medical Waste'' or 
``Infectious Waste'' must be labeled on the outside of the package when 
there is untreated regulated medical waste;
    4. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.15 that each ``generator shall mark each 
individual container of regulated medical waste in accordance with all 
applicable Federal regulations. . . . .'' and that the markings must 
include details of the transporter's name, the date of shipment, the 
intermediate handler's name, and other specific information;
    5. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.19 and those provisions of 7:26-3A.31 which 
require the use of a specific ``tracking form'' to accompany shipments 
of regulated medical waste that are prescribed for either the generator 
or the transporter;
    6. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.28 that, when transferring between 
transporters, each transporter must place a water resistant tag below 
the generator's marking on the outer surface of the container with the 
transporter's name, solid waste registration number, and date of 
receipt; and
    7. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.30 which requires that a vehicle used to 
transport regulated medical waste must have: (1) The name of the 
transporter; (2) the NJDEP solid waste transporter registration number; 
and (3) either the words ``Medical Waste'' or ``Infectious Waste'' on 
two sides and the back of the cargo-carrying body.
    8. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.45 to the extent that it requires rail 
transporters to comply with the transporter requirements of 7:26-3A.28 
and 7:26-3A.30.
    9. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.46 which requires a specific tracking form to 
accompany shipments of regulated medical waste for rail transporters.
    Federal hazardous material transportation law does not preempt the 
following requirements because they do not create an obstacle in 
complying with the HMR.
    1. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.21(a)(1) to the extent that it requires the 
generator to retain a copy of the shipping paper for at least three 
years from the date the regulated medical waste was accepted by the 
transporter;
    2. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.21(a)(2) to the extent that it requires the 
generator to retain a copy of any exception report for at least three 
years after the day the exception report was submitted;
    3. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.22 to the extent that it requires the generator 
of the regulated medical waste to file an exception report with the 
state when a transporter and/or destination facility notifies the 
generator of any discrepancy between the shipment as accepted by the 
initial transporter and delivered to the destination facility;
    4. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.32 to the extent that it requires the 
transporter to deliver the entire quantity of regulated medical waste 
to the proper party listed on the tracking form;
    5. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.33 to the extent that does not require a 
particular form to be used to consolidate the multiple shipments;
    6. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.34 to the extent that it requires that the 
transporter of the regulated medical waste to retain a copy of the 
shipping paper for at least three years from the date the regulated 
medical waste was accepted by the next party; and
    7. N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.41 to the extent that it requires intermediate 
handlers and destination facilities to certify that they had received 
the listed regulated medical waste.

V. Petition for Reconsideration/Judicial Review

    In accordance with 49 CFR 107.211(a), any person aggrieved by this 
decision may file a petition for reconsideration within 20 days of 
publication of this decision in the Federal Register. A petition for 
judicial review of a final preemption determination must be filed in 
the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia or in 
the Court of Appeals for the United States for the circuit in which the 
petitioner resides or has its principal place of business, within 60 
days after the determination becomes final. 49 U.S.C. 5127(a).
    This decision will become PHMSA's final decision 20 days after 
publication in the Federal Register if no petition for reconsideration 
is filed within that time. The filing of a petition for reconsideration 
is not a prerequisite to seeking judicial review of this decision under 
49 U.S.C. 5127(a).
    If a petition for reconsideration is filed within 20 days of 
publication in the Federal Register, the action by PHMSA's Chief 
Counsel on the petition for reconsideration will be PHMSA's final 
action. 49 CFR 107.211(d).

    Issued in Washington, DC on December 2, 2013.
Vanessa L. Allen Sutherland,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2013-29604 Filed 12-11-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P