No exemption from H.M. 200 for agricultural retailers
A provision in H.R. 4328, the Omnibus Appropriations bill, that would have exempted agricultural retailers in eight states not currently in compliance from H.M. 200, the Department of Transportation`s (DOT) regulations regarding hazardous materials transport, was removed from the bill by Congress. The eight states are Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Texas.
The provision, sponsored by the Agricultural Retailers Association, was op-posed by fire service organizations and numerous organizations representing fire chiefs, firefighters, truck drivers, highway safety groups, law enforcement, environmentalists, and truck crash victims.
“The fire service will apply added pressure to those eight states not currently in compliance to comply with the mandate and will watch Congress closely next year for any attempt by the agricultural suppliers to retroactively exempt these states,” says Alan Caldwell, director of government relations for the International Association of Fire Chiefs. n
