I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 99 
To provide for the establishment of a hazardous materials cooperative research 
program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 4, 2007 
Mr. CUMMINGS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for the establishment of a hazardous materials 
cooperative research program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hazardous Materials 
Cooperative Research Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) There are more than 1,000,000 shipments 
per day in the United States of materials identified 
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as hazardous by the United States Department of 
Transportation. These shipments are estimated to 
total 2,100,000,000 tons of hazardous cargo per 
year and to comprise more than 18 percent of the 
total freight tonnage moved in the United States an-
nually. 
(2) Hazardous materials are shipped by all 
transportation modes and it is estimated that there 
are currently 400,000 large trucks, 115,000 railroad 
tank cars, and 3,000 tank barges dedicated to the 
shipment of hazardous materials. 
(3) More than a dozen Federal agencies have 
regulatory, enforcement, and operational responsibil-
ities for ensuring the safety and security of haz-
ardous materials shipments. In addition, a variety of 
State and local agencies have responsibility for de-
veloping and enforcing State-level regulations and 
for responding to incidents involving hazardous ma-
terials. 
(4) Decisions regarding the packaging and 
routing of hazardous materials shipments, the devel-
opment and implementation of procedures to ensure 
both the safety and security of such shipments, and 
the regulation of hazardous materials shipments are 
made by industry groups and government entities at 
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a variety of levels and in all modal administrations 
of the Department of Transportation on a daily 
basis. 
(5) The Federal agencies involved in the regula-
tion and oversight of hazardous materials shipments 
as well as State and local governments, carriers, 
shippers, and other groups conduct on-going re-
search on the transportation of hazardous materials. 
However, much of this research is program or mode- 
specific and as such is focused on addressing only 
the regulatory, inspection, enforcement, or oper-
ational needs of the group undertaking the research. 
(6) There is a documented need for the estab-
lishment of a cooperative research program that will 
engage all modes and actors, both public and pri-
vate, involved in the transportation of hazardous 
materials in conducting cross-cutting assessments of 
hazardous materials transportation issues that are 
national and multi-modal in scope and application. 
SEC. 3. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS COOPERATIVE RESEARCH 
PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts made available 
under section 5127 of title 49, United States Code, the 
Secretary of Transportation may obligate not to exceed 
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$2,000,000 per fiscal year to develop and administer a 
hazardous materials cooperative research program. 
(b) GOVERNANCE.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall establish an independent governing board to select 
projects and studies to be carried out under the hazardous 
materials cooperative research program. The Board shall 
be comprised of one voting representative from the fol-
lowing: 
(1) The Federal Aviation Administration. 
(2) The Federal Motor Carrier Administration. 
(3) The Federal Transit Administration. 
(4) The Federal Railroad Administration. 
(5) The Maritime Administration. 
(6) The Research and Innovative Technology 
Administration. 
(7) The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 
Safety Administration. 
(8) The Department of Homeland Security. 
(9) The Department of Energy. 
(10) The Environmental Protection Agency. 
(11) A State department of transportation. 
(12) A State emergency management agency. 
(13) A nonprofit organization representing 
emergency responders. 
(14) A hazmat employer. 
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(15) A nonprofit organization representing 
hazmat employees. 
(16) A hazardous materials shipper. 
(17) A hazardous materials manufacturer. 
(18) An organization representing the haz-
ardous materials manufacturing industry. 
(19) A research university or research institu-
tion. 
(20) Additional representatives as the Secretary 
considers appropriate. 
(c) RESEARCH STUDIES.—Under the cooperative re-
search program, the governing board shall select coopera-
tive research studies of hazardous materials transpor-
tation that are cross-cutting in nature and that consider 
issues not adequately addressed by existing Federal or pri-
vate sector research programs. Priority shall be given to 
research studies that will yield results immediately appli-
cable to risk analysis and mitigation or that will strength-
en the ability of first responders to respond to incidents 
and accidents involving transportation of hazardous mate-
rials. 
(d) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall make grants to, and enter a cooperative agree-
ment with, the National Academy of Sciences to carry out 
activities under this Act. 
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(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act, the terms ‘‘hazmat 
employer’’ and ‘‘hazmat employee’’ have the meaning 
given those terms in section 5102 of title 49, United 
States Code. 
Æ 
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