Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO evaluated the: (1) effectiveness of the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) hazardous materials inspection program; and (2) extent to which the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) improved its Hazardous Materials Information System (HMIS) and established a program to register hazardous materials shippers.
GAO found that: (1) FRA inspectors' hazardous materials enforcement manual included outdated and contradictory inspection goals and guidance, did not describe ways for inspectors to identify and target high-risk shippers, and did not clearly delineate when inspectors should cite shippers and railroads for noncompliance or inspectors' authority to issue violations at shippers' facilities; (2) FRA did not use information available from its sources or HMIS to target inspection resources at high-risk shippers and railroad facilities; (3) FRA inspectors generally focused on inspecting individual cars carrying hazardous materials, rather than reviewing the adequacy of shippers' or railroads' safety procedures; (4) FRA lacked adequate staffing to accomplish its objective of ensuring that shippers and railroads complied with RSPA regulations; (5) FRA cited budget restrictions as the primary reason for not actively seeking to fill six position vacancies or adding more positions; (6) FRA has not sought statutory authority to certify state inspectors to participate in its hazardous materials inspection program, although some states have adopted federal standards and shown an interest in assisting FRA; (7) HMIS did not include data about 23 of 96 railroad hazardous materials releases GAO reviewed; and (8) RSPA did not require shippers to submit reports of hazardous materials releases, require post-investigation report updates, share accident and enforcement data with other agencies, or require major hazardous materials shippers to register.
