A Research and Special Programs (RSPA) plan to temporarily lower registration fees for certain hazardous materials transportation has been delayed, pending congressional appropriations for the Department of Transportation (DOT) for 2003, according to information in the March 14, 2002 Federal Register.
Registration fees under existing regulations remain $300 for small businesses and $2,000 for all other registrants. RSPA had proposed that small businesses and non-profit organizations (regardless of their size) would pay $250 plus a $25 processing fee, and all others would pay $475. The proposal was designed to eliminate a surplus in the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grants fund. The program supports hazmat emergency response planning, training, and related activities by states, local governments, and Indian tribes.
In 2001, RSPA first delayed final action on the proposal, pending enactment of the 2002 DOT appropriations. In that budget request, President Bush proposed to finance a portion of RSPA's hazmat safety program from fees collected through the Hazardous Materials Registration program. Although that proposal was not adopted by Congress in 2002, Bush's 2003 budget request to Congress again proposes to finance a portion of RSPA's hazmat safety program budget from fees collected through the Hazardous Materials Registration program.
For more information, phone David Donaldson at 202-366-4484 or Deborah Boothe at 202-366-8553, or visit the Federal Register at www.access.gpo.gov/.