April 08, 2008 Volume # 9 Issue # 8

A bi-weekly source for Association news and regulatory and legislative developments affecting the chemical distribution industry.

NACD News - Table of Contents Legislative and Regulatory Updates NACD Washington Fly-In This Week – Send Your Letters to Capitol Hill DOT Publishes Proposed Rule to Increase Rail Tank Car Safety Standards PHMSA Revised List of Hazardous Substances and Reportable Quantities Now in Effect CSB Releases New Safety Video on Texas City Explosion U.S. Fire Administration has “Coffee Break Training” Bulletins Available Reminder: Process Safety Management Webinar Offered to NACD Members at Discount Rate Responsible Distribution Process Meet the RDP Experts! Overdue: Membership & Performance Data Questionnaire Networking and Education Celebrate Father's Day at Amelia Island Plantation - June 15-17, 2008 Central Region Meeting – Save the Date! OPSEM2008 Opening Session Keynote Speaker Chemical Educational Foundation Mark Your Calendar - National YBTC Challenge, June 13 Chemical Industry Members Sponsor National Chemistry Competition Introduce CEF’s Lesson Plan Competition to Your Community!     Calendar of Events   Education and Training   Annual Meeting   OPSEM   NACD Washington Fly-In This Week – Send Your Letters to Capitol Hill The NACD Washington Fly-In is taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. More than 50 individuals are participating in this important event and discussing the key issues of chemical facility security, hazardous materials transportation security, rail competition, and the research and development tax credit. On Friday, March 28, NACD Government Affairs Committee Chairman Jim Boldt sent out a Legislative Action Alert asking members who were not able to attend the Fly-In to send letters to their Senators and Representatives. If you have not already done so, please help to spread NACD’s message on Capitol Hill by sending your letters today. You can find a copy of the alert as well as a sample letter at www.nacd.com/advocacy/alert.aspx. You can find copies of NACD’s position papers at www.nacd.com/advocacy/positionPapers.aspx. If you have any questions, please contact NACD Vice President of Government & Public Affairs Jennifer Gibson at jgibson@nacd.com or 703/527-6223, ext. 103. Back to Top DOT Publishes Proposed Rule to Increase Rail Tank Car Safety Standards On Tuesday, April 1, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register to increase the safety standards for rail tank cars that carry poison inhalation hazards (PIH). The rule proposes enhanced tank car performance standards that will increase the amount of energy a tank car must absorb during a crash before a catastrophic failure occurs by an average of 500 percent. This is to be accomplished through enhanced head and shell puncture-resistance systems. The proposal also establishes maximum speeds for PIH tank cars of 50 mph in normal conditions and 30 mph for those operating in non-signaled or “dark” territory. In addition, the proposal phases tank cars manufactured before 1989 out of PIH service within five years and replaces the entire fleet of tank cars used to transport PIH materials within eight years from the final rule’s effective date. At first glance, the proposal looks quite onerous and expensive. The NACD Transportation Issues Task Group will consider the proposal and develop comments by the June 2 submission deadline. For a copy of the proposal, go to www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html, type “page 17818” into the top box, and hit the submit key, or contact Jennifer Gibson at jgibson@nacd.com or 703/527-6223, ext. 103. Back to Top PHMSA Revised List of Hazardous Substances and Reportable Quantities Now in Effect On Monday, March 31, a final rule that PHMSA published in the January 7, 2008, issue of the Federal Register took effect. The final rule amends the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) by revising the list of hazardous substances and reportable quantities and by correcting editorial errors on the list. The rule addresses a requirement under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act for PHMSA to list and regulate all hazardous substances designated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The final rule enables shippers and carriers to identify the affected hazardous substances, comply with applicable regulatory requirements, and make the required notifications if a release occurs. For a copy of the final rule, go to www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html, type “page 1089” into the top box, and hit the submit key, or contact Jennifer Gibson at jgibson@nacd.com or 703/527-6223, ext. 103. Back to Top CSB Releases New Safety Video on Texas City Explosion Last month, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video entitled, “Anatomy of a Disaster: Explosion at BP Texas City Refinery.” This 56-minute video describes the causes of the accident and key safety lessons. The video includes a nine-minute computer animation of the sequence of events that led to the explosion and sections describing BP’s safety culture, the human factors that contributed to the accident, and the importance of safe equipment design and trailer siting. It also features interviews with members of the CSB Board Member William Wright, members of the investigative team, and outside safety experts. The video is posted on the CSB Web site at www.csb.gov. Back to Top U.S. Fire Administration has “Coffee Break Training” Bulletins Available The U.S. Fire Administration of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has available to the public “Coffee Break Training” bulletins. These one-page notices are intended for reading during a short break in the workday. The bulletins are geared towards fire and building inspectors, but many cover topics relevant to chemical distribution, especially those in the hazardous materials and storage practices categories. For example, last week’s bulletin, released on April 1, addressed Composite Intermediate Bulk Containers. A new bulletin is posted each Tuesday at www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/coffee-break. The Web page includes a “Coffee Break Archive” where you can search for past bulletins by category. Back to Top Reminder: Process Safety Management Webinar Offered to NACD Members at Discount Rate On Tuesday, April 22, from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, the National Society of Professional Engineers will host a Webinar entitled, “Process Safety Management – A Process Engineer’s Role on How to Avoid Catastrophe.” The presenters will be Pete Stickles and Judy Perry of ioMosaic. You may recall that Ms. Perry was a presenter for the December 17 NACD co-hosted CFATS Webinar. Because of NACD’s relationship with ioMosaic, NACD members are eligible for a discount rate for the April 22 Webinar. The session will provide a brief overview of OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard and compare PSM to EPA’s Risk Management Plan and DHS’s CFATS. The presentation will give an overview of what type of, and how technical process safety information should be generated to ensure process limits are well understood, including relief system design. An overview of mechanical integrity and a process engineer’s role in ensuring mechanical integrity will be provided. Process Hazard Analysis methodologies will be introduced and the importance of recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices will be discussed. The cost of the Webinar for NACD members is $119 (discounted from $149). For more information, visit www.nspe.org/Education/WebSeminars/index.html. To receive the member discount, note “ioMosaic Client” somewhere on the page. If you have any questions or need more information, contact Jennifer Gibson at jgibson@nacd.com or 703/527-6223, ext. 103. Back to Top Meet the RDP Experts! NACD’s verifying companies and RDP "veterans" will be at the RDP Code Coordinator Orientation and Workshop in Chicago, IL, on May 5-6, 2008. This is an indispensible way to get all of your questions answered! Register on-line for both the workshop and hotel at /dist_process/workshops.aspx. Space is limited, so register today!   Back to Top Overdue: Membership & Performance Data Questionnaire A few Member companies have still not completed the 2007 Membership & Performance Data Questionnaire, which was due on March 14, 2008. Please note that NACD membership voted in 2006 to make annual completion and submission of the questionnaire mandatory for Regular Members. To submit your completed questionnaire, please email Mike Lang, RDP Director, at mlang@nacd.com.   Back to Top Celebrate Father's Day at Amelia Island Plantation - June 15-17, 2008 Southern Region Meeting – Save the Date! Everyone is welcome to attend! June 15-17, 2008 Amelia Island Plantation 6800 First Coast Highway Amelia Island, FL 32034 Tel: 904/261-6161 Fax: 904/277-5945 Reservations: 888/261-6165 Reference Code: 8B48ZF NACD Group Room Rate: $189/night Hotel Reservation Deadline: May 6, 2008 Please note that Group Room Rates are available 3 days prior and 3 days after the meeting, depending on availability. Visit: www.aipfl.com for hotel information. Register today at  /about/regions/southeast/se_regional_meetings.aspx.     Back to Top Central Region Meeting – Save the Date! Everyone is welcome to attend! June 24-25, 2008! The Grand Hotel Minneapolis 615 Second Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55402 Tel: 612/288-8888 Reservations: 866/TheGrand (843-47263) or 612/288-8888 Reference Code: NACD Group NACD Group Room Rate: $229/night Hotel Reservation Deadline: May 28, 2008 Please note that Group Room Rates are available 3 days prior and 3 days after the meeting, depending on availability. Hotel Web Site: http://www.preferredhotels.com/values/hotel_descr.asp?id=49116&travelAgentId=09546386&src=tig2_googlemaps_MSPMG   Back to Top OPSEM2008 Opening Session Keynote Speaker This year's keynote speaker is Isabel Perry, The SafetyDoctor.com, presenting "Safety Leadership Skills: 18 Lessons Learned on the Links." Factory-Pack Distributors - Get ready for a variety of educational sessions to choose from: OSHA's Top 10: Solutions to Citations in Our Industry Generations in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Transportation Regulatory Update Retaining the Good Ones Carrier Selection Roundtable - Is It All About Price? Best Practices in Carrier Selection Incident Investigation - "Oops! What Do We Do Now?" - How to Properly Investigate, Evaluate the Results of Incidents/Accidents, and Implement Preventive Action We look forward to having another successful OPSEM. Registration will be av available in May so please look out for updates.  Back to Top Mark Your Calendar - National YBTC Challenge, June 13 CEF invites you to attend the 2008 National You Be The Chemist Challenge competition in Philadelphia, PA. The competition will take place at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 13, 2008, at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Twelve students from Challenge sites across the country will compete in the question and answer competition for the title of national champion. For more information, please contact the CEF staff by phone at 703/527-6223, by e-mail at comments@chemed.org, or visit the CEF Web site at www.chemed.org.   Back to Top Chemical Industry Members Sponsor National Chemistry Competition The fourth annual National You Be The Chemist Challenge competition will be held June 13 in Philadelphia, PA. This year’s competition is sponsored by: AIG Environmental, New York, NY Arch Chemicals, Inc., Norwalk, CT Expo Chemical Co., Inc., Houston, TX National Association of Chemical Distributors, Arlington, VA Thames & Kosmos, Portsmouth, RI  Sponsorship opportunities are still available! Contact Laurel Brent or John Rice at 703/527-6223 for more details. Back to Top Introduce CEF’s Lesson Plan Competition to Your Community! CEF is now accepting submissions for the 2008 You Be The Chemist Lesson Plan Competition. Winners will be selected in one of three categories: Scientific Inquiry, Structure of Matter, and Human & Environmental Chemistry. In each category 1st place will win $1,000, 2nd place will win $500, and the 3rd-place prize will be $250. The first 50 entrants will receive a set of You Be The Chemist  Activity Guides: Lesson Plans for Making Chemistry Fun and each 1st-place category winner’s school will also receive $250 for purchasing science education material! For more information or to view examples of past winning lesson plans, please visit: http://www.chemed.org/Lesson_Plan.html. The deadline for submissions is December, 20.   Back to Top