Email Script - Initial

PHMSA’s Email to Shippers and Carriers Who Have Previously Volunteered^* to Participate in Pilot Tests

^*(via posting a comment to the 60-Day Notice and/or responding to the April 2013 webmail announcement)

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, a Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information unless it displays a current valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 2137-0034. The information requested on this form is being collected by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to be 10 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of the collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Mr. T. Glenn Foster, Information Collection Clearance Officer, U. S. Department of Transportation, PHMSA, Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, PHH-10, 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E., 2^nd Floor East, E24-301, Washington, DC 20520.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is pleased to inform you that the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved PHMSA’s information collection package for the Paperless Hazard Communications Pilot Program, also known as the Hazardous Materials Automated Cargo Communication for Efficient and Safe Shipments (HM-ACCESS). This approval allows PHMSA to begin conducting pilot tests, which are designed to collect data regarding the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety associated with electronic transfer of HM shipping paper data between HM stakeholders (shippers, carriers, law enforcement inspectors, and emergency response personnel).

PHMSA wants to confirm that your company/organization is still interested in volunteering to participate in the pilot tests. Please send an email response to HMACCESS@dot.gov by ____insert date___________ as to your company’s/organization’s willingness to volunteer to participate in the pilot tests. The pilot tests are tentatively planned to occur during ____add 8- to 12-week pilot test date range______. Please note that your response only reaffirms your company’s/organization’s desire to volunteer to participate in the pilot tests and does not commit your company/organization to participate.

PHMSA will send an Informed Consent Form and a link to the Shipper and Carrier Participant Selection Question Set to all shippers and carriers who RSVP to HMACCESS@dot.gov by ____insert date (same as above)_________ that they are still willing to volunteer to participate in the pilot tests. The Informed Consent Form and Shipper and Carrier Participant Selection Question Set are required to be completed by each shipper and carrier company/organization interested in volunteering to participate in the pilot tests. PHMSA anticipates that senior shipper and carrier representatives who have authority to volunteer the company/organization to participate in the pilot tests will complete the Informed Consent Form and Shipper and Carrier Participant Selection Question Set. Any shipper or carrier company/organization that does not complete either the Informed Consent Form or the question set will be ineligible for selection to participate as a shipper/carrier pilot test volunteer.

Please contact Luciana DiGhionno, PHMSA’s Research and Development (PHH-23) Chief, at luciana.dighionno@dot.gov with any questions. Thank you for your continued interest in HM-ACCESS.