EXECUTIVE ORDER 05-36

WHEREAS, the recent advance of Hurricane Rita across the Gulf of Mexico, its likely landfall in the States of Texas and Louisiana, and its probable movement across the southern United States will likely result in high winds, extreme tidal surges, heavy thunderstorms, torrential rains, and flooding across many areas within the States of Texas and Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, this severe natural disaster will likely result in extensive economic and human damage across Texas and Louisiana, including the loss of lives, the pervasive destruction of private and public property, the widespread interruption of electrical power to millions of public utility customers, and the evacuation and temporary relocation of persons from the coastal regions, which will eventually require the return of these displaced persons to their places of origin; and

WHEREAS, the extreme weather conditions caused by Hurricane Rita threaten to continue and to extend these destructive impacts across increasing areas of Texas and Louisiana as the hurricane moves inland; and

WHEREAS, these extreme weather conditions, and the resulting destruction of property, interruption of essential human services, and potential dangers to and loss of human life, will require a massive public and private response to provide immediate emergency assistance and continuing emergency relief to individual persons, businesses, and federal, state, and local governmental units in need of transportation for food, supplies, tools, equipment, medicine, public and private health care, law enforcement, security services, public utility services, sanitation and waste disposal, cleanup of debris, property restoration and reconstruction, and other necessities, which threatens to overload the available transportation systems to, from, and within these affected states; and

WHEREAS, the President of the United States of America has issued a Declaration of Regional Emergency within the meaning of Section 390.23(a)(1) of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, as a result of these severe weather conditions, which pose a threat to the public safety and health of persons residing within Texas and Louisiana, thereby authorizing exemption to Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 390-399; and

WHEREAS, the safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the affected States of Texas and Louisiana, as well as any other affected state identified in future regional emergency declarations by the President of the United States or a governor of the affected state, resulting from Hurricane Rita, requires that operators of commercial motor carriers upon the public highways within Missouri, who are rendering assistance to the emergency efforts within the affected states, should be allowed more rapid and efficient travel to meet this emergency need for transportation of passengers and property; and

WHEREAS, this requirement for more rapid and efficient transportation would be facilitated by the temporary suspension of certain usual and necessary regulatory requirements for the drivers of commercial motor vehicles, while they are transporting property and passengers to assist in the relief efforts.

NOW THEREFORE, I, MATT BLUNT, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Missouri, hereby declare that I acknowledge the existence of a regional state of emergency, within the meaning of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 390.23(a)(1), within the States of Texas and Louisiana, as well as any other affected state identified in future regional emergency declarations by the President of the United States or a governor of the affected state, resulting from the severe weather conditions accompanying Hurricane Rita, as described above; and

FURTHER, I direct that the commercial motor vehicle regulatory requirements regarding the purchase of trip permits for registration and fuel for commercial motor carriers engaged in interstate disaster relief efforts in any affected state identified in emergency declarations by the President of the United States or a governor of the affected state, resulting from the severe weather conditions accompanying Hurricane Rita, shall be waived; and

FURTHER, I direct that the issuance of overdimension and overweight permits by the Missouri Department of Transportation for commercial motor carriers engaged in interstate disaster relief efforts in any affected state identified in emergency declarations by the President of the United States or a governor of the affected state, resulting from the severe weather conditions accompanying Hurricane Rita, shall be subject to the following interim application requirements in obtaining such a permit:

• The permittee will be required to supply:
  • Year, Make and License plate number of the power unit and trailer;
  • Size, Make and Serial Number (last 4 digits) of commodity being hauled;
  • Origin, Destination and Consecutive Routing;
  • Overall Width, Height, Length and length of trailer and load only; and
  • Date of Movement.
• The permit process can be expedited by calling:
  • 800-877-8499
  • 573-526-5314; or
  • 573-526-5312.

However, this emergency declaration shall not suspend the applicability of the standard permit fee requirements; and

FURTHER, I direct that the effective date of this emergency declaration shall begin on September 23, 2005, and such emergency declaration shall continue in effect until the expiration date as set forth in the Declaration of Regional Emergency issued by the President of the United States of America, and the expiration dates of any emergency declarations issued by the governors of any state, resulting from the severe weather conditions accompanying Hurricane Rita, or November 23, 2005 at 12:01AM, whichever earlier occurs.

ATTEST:

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