Hazardous Materials

This briefing report discusses progress by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in implementing the Hazardous Materials Transportation Uniform Safety Act of 1990. Implementation of the act is either in process or planned for all sections of the act except one that has been completed. While most of these efforts do not have to be completed until fiscal year 1992 or 1993, GAO discovered that in several cases action was required but not taken in fiscal year 1991. Officials attributed this to insufficient funds--a situation that strongly affected hiring more hazardous materials inspectors and conducting various studies. The act imposed many new requirements, some of which were accommodated by reallocating 1991 funds that had been budgeted for other purposes. DOT officials said that DOT had not requested a supplemental appropriation in fiscal year 1991 for the act. Fiscal year 1991 funds could technically have been used for funding all requirements of the act, but agency officials decided not to do so. Instead, each of the agencies amended its fiscal year 1992 budget request to include funding for act requirements.

GAO found that: (1) action to implement HMTUSA is either in process or planned for all sections except one that has been completed; (2) DOT officials stated that they lacked sufficient funds to implement the act's requirements, particularly those for hiring additional hazardous materials inspectors and conducting various studies; and (3) although DOT could have used fiscal year (FY) 1991 funds for funding HMTUSA requirements, the Research and Special Programs Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Federal Highway Administration amended their FY 1992 budget requests to include funding for the act's requirements.