Security & Safety Briefs - Feb. 16 - Feb. 22

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The Latest Headlines:

• Wisconsin Wants $35 Hazmat Fee
• Michigan Raises Truck Speed Limit to 60 Mph
• Conn. Emergency Workers Cite I-95 Concerns

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Wisconsin Wants $35 Hazmat Fee

/h4>The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has proposed charging carriers hauling hazardous waste a $35-per-vehicle fee, but American Trucking Associations said the charge may be unconstitutional.

The proposal, which would also increase the annual licensing fees for hazardous waste haulers to $400 from $300, requires approval by the state’s General Assembly and governor, said Patricia Chabot, coordinator of the state’s hazardous waste program.

In a memo sent in January to the WDNR, Robert Digges, deputy counsel for ATA, wrote that the $35 fee “would be vulnerable to constitutional challenge under the Commerce Clause” of the U.S. Constitution. Transport Topics

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Michigan Raises Truck Speed Limit to 60 Mph

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) signed legislation that in November will raise the speed limit to 60 mph from 55 mph for trucks weighing at least 10,000 pounds on highways where the maximum speed is 70 mph.

The measure applies to roads with two or more lanes in each direction having limited access or no intersections. (Click here for previous coverage.)

The law will “bridge the speed gap between trucks and passenger vehicles, enhancing highway safety,” and also speed freight deliveries, said Walt Heinritzi, executive director of the Michigan Trucking Association.

Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said Michigan’s new speed limit policy “is moving in the direction of a uniform speed limit” for trucks and cars. Transport Topics

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Conn. Emergency Workers Cite I-95 Concerns

Emergency workers say traffic congestion caused by a major construction project on Interstate 95 near New Haven, Conn., could be putting lives at risk, the Associated Press reported.

Paramedics, fire officials and dispatchers in New Haven and nearby jurisdictions say ambulances and other emergency vehicles too often are stuck in traffic jams caused by the project, which includes a new bridge over the Quinnipiac River.

That makes it difficult to reach patients during medical emergencies and rush them to area hospitals, officials said.

The $1.4 billion highway improvement project began three years ago and is scheduled to be completed in 2014, prompting worries among emergency workers about years of traffic jams ahead. Transport Topics

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