In accordance with the provisions of 49 U.S.C. § 5103(c), PHMSA's Associate Administrator for the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety declares that an emergency exists that warrants issuance of a Waiver of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) to persons conducting operations under the direction of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 4, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NC DPS) and United States Coast Guard (USCG) Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Districts within the Hurricane Helene emergency areas in the States of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Waiver is granted to support EPA, FDEP, NC DPS, and USCG in taking appropriate actions to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a threat to public health, welfare, or the environment caused by actual or potential oil and hazardous materials incidents resulting from Hurricane Helene. View the Emergency Waiver Order for full details.