Report: Gov't agency waives rules for shippers

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration — which regulates more than 1 million daily shipments of potentially dangerous cargo by land, sea and air — has routinely granted or renewed waivers of rules without attempting to find out whether shippers had been involved in accidents or were cited for violations, according to investigations by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Transportation Department's inspector general. Calvin Scovel, the inspector general, told the committee he warned Obama administration officials in late July that an investigation by his office had uncovered significant concerns regarding the handling of waivers. He cited a company that was granted a waiver in 2004 despite having 321 prior safety incidents and five prior enforcement violations. He said the waiver was renewed two years later despite the fact that the firm had an additional 26 incidents and five more enforcement violations. The public has "little assurance that hazmat materials will be safely transported," Scovel said. PHMSA is part of the Transportation Department...AP