By Heidi Slinkard Brasher
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s fiscal year 2013 budget request includes $276 million and 647 positions to increase oversight of hazardous materials transportation and the process of repairing, replacing and rehabilitating existing pipelines. This request is $75 million more than what DOT received for FY 2012.
In addition to funding IT modernization for DOT, the budget requests the following:
- Pipeline safety funding would be allocated to:
- 150 new employees – 120 new inspectors and 30 program personnel
- Grants to states to standardize their pipeline safety programs
- Pipeline safety R&D, National Pipeline Information Exchange database of pipeline safety information
- National public awareness campaigns
- Pipeline safety design review user fees
- A new Accident Investigation Team which will review significant incidents not reviewed by the NTSB.
- Hazardous materials funding would be allocated to:
- 22 new employees
- A new Special Permit and Approvals user fee to be collected from those seeking special permits and approvals for transporting hazardous materials
- Special permit processing and evaluation
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Read more about PHMSA’s 2013 budget request here