EXECUTIVE ORDER 11-12

Conditional and Temporary Relief from Motor Carrier Rules and Regulations

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Kansas Emergency Management Act, Chapter 48, Article 9, of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, to meet the inherent dangers of disasters, I hereby proclaim a State of Disaster Emergency, as follows:

Whereas, K.S.A. 48-925(b) provides that the Governor may issue orders and proclamations which shall have the force and effect of law under subsection (b) of K.S.A. 48-924; and 

Whereas, on the 22nd day of May, 2011, a tornado, large hail, and extreme weather conditions resulted in an emergency disaster in the city of Joplin, in Jasper County, Missouri; 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, require and will continue to require a massive public and private response to provide immediate emergency assistance and continuing emergency relief to individual persons, businesses, and governmental units in need of transportation for food, supplies, tools, equipment, medicine, fuel and 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 the states of Kansas and Missouri; and

Whereas, I have previously issued Executive Orders 11-09 and 11-10 on this topic to provide support to the citizens of Kansas and Missouri;

Now, Therefore, pursuant to the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Kansas, I hereby acknowledge a state of emergency exists in the state of Missouri, and it is necessary to assist and expedite all disaster recovery efforts. In order to accomodate this need and to provide assistance to the citizens and government of Missouri in this extreme situation, I hereby order the following:

1. Motor carriers when hauling weather related debris from Joplin, Missouri to waste disposal facilities in the state of Kansas shall be permitted to operated on Kansas highways in Cherokee and Crawford Counties with overweight loads of debris that exceed legally allowable weight limits for the subject motor vehicle by 10%, up to a maximum of 88,000 pounds. 
2. Motor carriers when hauling weather related debris from Joplin, Missouri to waste disposal facilities in the state of Kansas shall continue to observe and obey the weight restrictions on all posted bridges in the state of Kansas. 
3. Motor carriers when hauling weather related debris from Joplin, Missouri to waste disposal facilities in the state of Kansas may travel on Kansas highways in Cherokee and Crawford Counties without an overweight permit from the Kansas Dept. of Transportation.