The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) will host a public Research, Development, & Technology Forum (Forum) from March 31-April 2, 2026, in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. More details, to include the location, will be posted on the PHMSA website at the link provided below. The Forum will provide an opportunity for PHMSA-funded research projects to present the results of recently completed or ongoing projects. OHMS will discuss upcoming hazardous materials transportation research project plans and obtain stakeholder input on the direction of OHMS’s current and future research projects. Potential topics include:
- Efficient Safety Standards
- Risk Reduction for Emergency Response
- Safe Energy Storage Technologies
- Innovative Packaging
During the Forum, OHMS will host subject matter experts to discuss a variety of topics affecting the hazardous materials transportation industry. Additionally, OHMS will solicit input and feedback related to potential research topics that may be considered for future work and gather and review research need statements from industry, academia, and other stakeholders. The Forum actively will encourage the identification of critical research gaps in hazardous materials transportation to ensure the transportation community’s evolving needs are addressed while advancing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s strategic priorities—Safety, Infrastructure Investment, Innovation, and System Efficiency.
The Forum will be held in person in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Details about the in-person forum, such as hotel reservations and additional information, will be posted on PHMSA’s website under “Upcoming Events” at
https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/research-and-development/hazmat/rd-meetings-and-events.
Registration:
PHMSA requests that attendees pre-register for these meetings by completing the form at:
https://primis-meetings.phmsa.dot.gov/.
Presentations:
Presentations will be available on the meeting website and on the E-Gov website at
https://regulations.gov
at docket number PHMSA-2026-0463 no later than 30 days following the meeting.
Submitting Comments:
You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. PHMSA-2026-0463 by any of the following methods:
E-Gov Website: https://www.regulations.gov.
This site allows the public to enter comments on any
Federal Register
notice issued by any agency. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Mail:
Docket Management System, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery:
DOT Docket Management System: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax:
202-493-2251. DOT will not issue confirmation notices for faxed comments.
Instructions:
Identify Docket No. PHMSA-2026-0463 at the beginning of your comments. If you submit your comments by mail, please submit two copies. If you wish to receive confirmation that PHMSA received your comments, you must include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Internet users may submit comments at:
http://www.regulations.gov.
Confidential Business Information:
Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments in response to this notice contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and is relevant or responsive to this notice, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Pursuant to 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 190.343, you may ask PHMSA to provide confidential treatment to information you give the agency by taking the following steps: (1) mark each page of the original document submission containing CBI as “Confidential”; (2) send PHMSA a copy of the original document with the CBI deleted along with the original, unaltered document; and (3) explain why the information you are submitting is CBI. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Andrew Leyder, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, DOT: Washington, DC 20590-0001. Any comments PHMSA receives that are not designated specifically as CBI will be placed in the public docket.
Privacy Act:
DOT may solicit comments from the public regarding certain general notices. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to
www.regulations.gov,
as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at
www.dot.gov/privacy.
