Subpart E - Preemption Procedures

Source:

57 FR 44132, Sept. 24, 1992, unless otherwise noted.

§ 397.201 Purpose and scope of the procedures.

(a) This subpart prescribes procedures by which:

(1) Any person, including a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe, directly affected by any highway routing designation for hazardous materials may apply to the Administrator for a determination as to whether that highway routing designation is preempted under 49 U.S.C. 5125, or § 397.69 or § 397.203 of this part; and

(2) A State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe may apply to the Administrator for a waiver of preemption with respect to any highway routing designation that the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe acknowledges to be preempted by 49 U.S.C. 5125, or § 397.69 or § 397.203 of this part, or that has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be so preempted.

(b) Unless otherwise ordered by the Administrator, an application for a preemption determination which includes an application for a waiver of preemption will be treated and processed solely as an application for a preemption determination.

(c) For purposes of this part:

Act means 49 U.S.C. 5101 et seq., formerly known as the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act.

Administrator means the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator, who is the chief executive of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Transportation, or his/her designate.

Hazardous material means a substance or material, including a hazardous substance, which has been determined by the Secretary of Transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, or property, when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated.

Indian tribe has the same meaning as contained in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act, 25 U.S.C. 450b.

Person means an individual, firm, copartnership, corporation, company, association, joint-stock association, including any trustee, receiver, assignee, or similar representative thereof, or government, Indian tribe, or agency or instrumentality of any government or Indian tribe when it offers hazardous materials for transportation in commerce or transports hazardous materials in furtherance of a commercial enterprise, but such term does not include the United States Postal Service.

Political subdivision includes a municipality; a public agency or other instrumentality of one or more States, or a public corporation, board, or commission established under the laws of one or more States.

Routing agency means the State highway agency or other State agency designated by the Governor of a State, or an agency designated by an Indian tribe, to supervise, coordinate, and approve the highway routing designations for that State or Indian tribe. Any highway routing designation made by a political subdivision of a State shall be considered a designation made by that State.

Routing designation includes any regulation, limitation, restriction, curfew, time of travel restriction, lane restriction, routing ban, port-of-entry designation, or route weight restriction applicable to the highway transportation of hazardous materials over a specific highway route or portion of a route.

State means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, or any other territory or possession of the United States designated by the Secretary.

[57 FR 44132, Sept. 24, 1992, as amended at 59 FR 51834, Oct. 12, 1994; 78 FR 58486, Sept. 24, 2013]

§ 397.203 Standards for determining preemption.

(a) Any highway routing designation established, maintained, or enforced by a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe is preempted if—

(1) Compliance with both the highway routing designation and any requirement under the Act or of a regulation issued under the Act is not possible;

(2) The highway routing designation as applied or enforced creates an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the Act or the regulations issued under the Act; or

(3) The highway routing designation is preempted pursuant to § 397.69(b) of this part.

(b) [Reserved]

[57 FR 44132, Sept. 24, 1992, as amended at 59 FR 51834, Oct. 12, 1994]

§ 397.205 Preemption application.

(a) Any person, including a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe directly affected by any highway routing designation of another State, political subdivision, or Indian tribe, may apply to the Administrator for a determination of whether that highway routing designation is preempted by the Act or § 397.203 of this subpart. The Administrator shall publish notice of the application in the Federal Register.

(b) Each application filed under this section for a determination must:

(1) Be submitted to the Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590–0001. Attention: Office of the Chief Counsel, Enforcement and Litigation Division (MC–CCE);

(2) Set forth a detailed description of the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe for which the determination is sought;

(3) If applicable, specify the provisions of the Act or the regulations issued under the Act under which the applicant seeks preemption of the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe;

(4) Explain why the applicant believes the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe should or should not be preempted under the standards of § 397.203; and

(5) State how the applicant is affected by the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe.

(c) The filing of an application for a determination under this section does not constitute grounds for noncompliance with any requirement of the Act or any regulation issued under the Act.

(d) Once the Administrator has published notice in the Federal Register of an application received under paragraph (a) of this section, no applicant for such determination may seek relief with respect to the same or substantially the same issue in any court until final action has been taken on the application or until 180 days after filing of the application, whichever occurs first. Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting any person, including a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe, directly affected by any highway routing designation from seeking a determination of preemption in any court of competent jurisdiction in lieu of applying to the Administrator under paragraph (a) of this section.

[57 FR 44132, Sept. 24, 1992, as amended at 66 FR 49874, Oct. 1, 2001; 72 FR 55703, Oct. 1, 2007]

§ 397.207 Preemption notice.

(a) If the applicant is other than a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe, the applicant shall mail a copy of the application to the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe concerned, accompanied by a statement that comments may be submitted regarding the application to the Administrator within 45 days. The application filed with the Administrator must include a certification that the applicant has complied with this paragraph and must include the names and addresses of each official to whom a copy of the application was sent.

(b) The Administrator may afford interested persons an opportunity to file written comments on the application by serving notice on any persons readily identifiable by the Administrator as persons who will be affected by the ruling sought or by publication in the Federal Register.

(c) Each person submitting written comments to the Administrator with respect to an application filed under this section shall send a copy of the comments to the applicant and certify to the Administrator that he or she has complied with this requirement. The Administrator may notify other persons participating in the proceeding of the comments and provide an opportunity for those other persons to respond.

§ 397.209 Preemption processing.

(a) The Administrator may initiate an investigation of any statement in an application and utilize in his or her evaluation any relevant facts obtained by that investigation. The Administrator may solicit and accept submissions from third persons relevant to an application and will provide the applicant an opportunity to respond to all third person submissions. In evaluating an application, the Administrator may consider any other source of information. The Administrator may convene a hearing or conference, if a hearing or conference will advance the evaluation of the application.

(b) The Administrator may dismiss the application without prejudice if:

(1) he or she determines that there is insufficient information upon which to base a determination; or

(2) he or she requests additional information from the applicant and it is not submitted.

§ 397.211 Preemption determination.

(a) Upon consideration of the application and other relevant information received, the Administrator issues a determination.

(b) Notwithstanding that an application for a determination has not been filed under § 397.205, the Administrator, on his or her own initiative, may issue a determination as to whether a particular highway routing designation of a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe is preempted under the Act or the regulations issued under the Act.

(c) The determination includes a written statement setting forth the relevant facts and the legal basis for the determination, and provides that any person aggrieved thereby may file a petition for reconsideration within 20 days in accordance with § 397.223.

(d) Unless the determination is issued pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, the Administrator serves a copy of the determination upon the applicant. In all preemption determinations, the Administrator serves a copy of the determination upon any other person who participated in the proceeding or who is readily identifiable by the Administrator as affected by the determination. A copy of each determination is placed on file in the public docket. The Administrator may publish the determination or notice of the determination in the Federal Register.

(e) If no petition for reconsideration is filed within 20 days in accordance with § 397.223, a determination issued under this section constitutes the final agency decision as to whether a particular highway routing designation of a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe is preempted under the Act or regulations issued thereunder. The fact that a determination has not been issued under this section with respect to a particular highway routing designation of a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe carries no implication as to whether the requirement is preempted under the Act or regulations issued thereunder.

§ 397.213 Waiver of preemption application.

(a) Any State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe may apply to the Administrator for a waiver of preemption with respect to any highway routing designation that the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe acknowledges to be preempted by the Act, § 397.203 of this subpart, or a court of competent jurisdiction. The Administrator may waive preemption with respect to such requirement upon a determination that such requirement—

(1) Affords an equal or greater level of protection to the public than is afforded by the requirements of the Act or regulations issued under the Act, and

(2) Does not unreasonably burden commerce.

(b) Each application filed under this section for a waiver of preemption determination must:

(1) Be submitted to the Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590–0001. Attention: Office of the Chief Counsel, Enforcement and Litigation Division (MC–CCE);

(2) Set forth a detailed description of the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe for which the determination is being sought;

(3) Include a copy of any relevant court order or determination issued pursuant to § 397.211;

(4) Contain an express acknowledgment by the applicant that the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe is preempted under the Act or the regulations issued under the Act, unless it has been so determined by a court of competent jurisdiction or in a determination issued under this subpart;

(5) Specify each provision of the Act or the regulations issued under the Act that preempts the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe;

(6) State why the applicant believes that the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe affords an equal or greater level of protection to the public than is afforded by the requirements of the Act or the regulations issued under the Act;

(7) State why the applicant believes that the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe does not unreasonably burden commerce; and

(8) Specify what steps the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe is taking to administer and enforce effectively the preempted requirement.

[57 FR 44132, Sept. 24, 1992, as amended at 66 FR 49874, Oct. 1, 2001; 72 FR 55703, Oct. 1, 2007; 78 FR 58486, Sept. 24, 2013]

§ 397.215 Waiver notice.

(a) The applicant State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe shall mail a copy of the application and any subsequent amendments or other documents relating to the application to each person whom the applicant reasonably ascertains will be affected by the determination sought. The copy of the application must be accompanied by a statement that the person may submit comments regarding the application to the Administrator within 45 days. The application filed with the Administrator must include a certification that the application complies with this paragraph and must include the names and addresses of each person to whom the application was sent.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, if the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe determines that compliance with paragraph (a) of this section would be impracticable, the applicant shall:

(1) Comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section with regard to those persons whom it is reasonable and practicable to notify; and

(2) Include with the application filed with the Administrator a description of the persons or class or classes of persons to whom notice was not sent.

(c) The Administrator may require the applicant to provide notice in addition to that required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, or may determine that the notice required by paragraph (a) of this section is not impracticable, or that notice should be published in the Federal Register.

(d) The Administrator may serve notice on any other persons readily identifiable by the Administrator as persons who will be affected by the determination sought and may afford those persons an opportunity to file written comments on the application.

(e) Any person submitting written comments to the Administrator with respect to an application filed under this section shall send a copy of the comments to the applicant. The person shall certify to the Administrator that he or she has complied with the requirements of this paragraph. The Administrator may notify other persons participating in the proceeding of the comments and provide an opportunity for those other persons to respond.

[57 FR 44132, Sept. 24, 1992, as amended at 80 FR 59075, Oct. 1, 2015]

§ 397.217 Waiver processing.

(a) The Administrator may initiate an investigation of any statement in an application and utilize any relevant facts obtained by that investigation. The Administrator may solicit and accept submissions from third persons relevant to an application and will provide the applicant an opportunity to respond to all third person submissions. In evaluating an application, the Administrator may convene a hearing or conference, if a hearing or conference will advance the evaluation of the application.

(b) The Administrator may dismiss the application without prejudice if:

(1) he or she determines that there is insufficient information upon which to base a determination;

(2) Upon his or her request, additional information is not submitted by the applicant; or

(3) The applicant fails to provide the notice required by this subpart.

(c) Except as provided in this subpart, the Administrator will only consider an application for a waiver of preemption determination if:

(1) The applicant expressly acknowledges in its application that the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe for which the determination is sought is preempted by the Act or the regulations thereunder; or

(2) The highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction or in a determination issued pursuant to § 397.211 to be preempted by the Act or the regulations issued thereunder.

(d) When the Administrator has received all substantive information necessary to process an application for a waiver of preemption determination, notice of that fact will be served upon the applicant. Additional notice to all other persons who received notice of the proceeding may be served by publishing a notice in the Federal Register.

§ 397.219 Waiver determination and order.

(a) Upon consideration of the application and other relevant information received or obtained during the proceeding, the Administrator issues an order setting forth his or her determination.

(b) The Administrator may issue a waiver of preemption order only if he or she finds that the requirement of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe affords the public a level of safety at least equal to that afforded by the requirements of the Act and the regulations issued under the Act and does not unreasonably burden commerce. In determining whether the requirement of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe unreasonably burdens commerce, the Administrator may consider the following factors:

(1) The extent to which increased costs and impairment of efficiency result from the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe;

(2) Whether the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe has a rational basis;

(3) Whether the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe achieves its stated purpose; and

(4) Whether there is need for uniformity with regard to the subject concerned and if so, whether the highway routing designation of the State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe competes or conflicts with those of other States, political subdivisions thereof, or Indian tribes.

(c) The order includes a written statement setting forth the relevant facts and the legal basis for the determination, and provides that any person aggrieved by the order may file a petition for reconsideration in accordance with § 397.223.

(d) The Administrator serves a copy of the order upon the applicant, any other person who participated in the proceeding and upon any other person readily identifiable by the Administrator as one who may be affected by the order. A copy of each order is placed on file in the public docket. The Administrator may publish the order or notice of the order in the Federal Register.

(e) If no petition for reconsideration is filed within 20 days in accordance with § 397.223, an order issued under this section constitutes the final agency decision regarding whether a particular requirement of a State, political subdivision thereof, or Indian tribe is preempted under the Act or any regulations issued thereunder, or whether preemption is waived.

§ 397.221 Timeliness.

If the Administrator fails to take action on the application within 90 days of serving the notice required by § 397.217(d), the applicant may treat the application as having been denied in all respects.

§ 397.223 Petition for reconsideration.

(a) Any person aggrieved by an order issued under § 397.211 or § 397.219 may file a petition for reconsideration with the Administrator. The petition must be filed within 20 days of service of the determination or order issued under the above sections.

(b) The petition must contain a concise statement of the basis for seeking reconsideration, including any specific factual or legal errors, or material information not previously available.

(c) The petitioner shall mail a copy of the petition to each person who participated, either as an applicant or routing, in the waiver of preemption proceeding, accompanied by a statement that the person may submit comments concerning the petition to the Administrator within 20 days. The petition filed with the Administrator must contain a certification that the petitioner has complied with this paragraph and include the names and addresses of all persons to whom a copy of the petition was sent.

(d) The Administrator's decision under this section constitutes the final agency decision. If no petition for reconsideration is filed under this section, then the determination issued under § 397.211 or § 397.219 becomes the final agency decision at the end of the 20 day period.

§ 397.225 Judicial review.

A party to a proceeding under § 397.205(a), § 397.213(a), or § 397.223(a) may seek review by the appropriate district court of the United States of the decision of the Administrator under such proceeding only by filing a petition with such court within 60 days after the final agency decision.