In accordance with the provisions of 49 U.S.C. § 5103(c), the Associate Administrator for the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety within the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) hereby 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, within the Kentucky Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides emergency areas in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Waiver is granted to support EPA 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 the severe weather and natural disaster events. See the Emergency Waiver Order for full details.