New bills seek to strengthen crude-by-rail safety, extend short-line tax credit

[mahatmakanejeeves]

New bills seek to strengthen crude-by-rail safety, extend short-line tax credit

3/4/2015

Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation

At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing yesterday, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced plans to introduce legislation that would establish new, stronger safety standards for trains hauling crude oil. ... During the hearing, Cantwell told U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx that she didn’t think the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) proposed tank-car safety rule would be sufficient and that legislation would be necessary to further strengthen crude-by-rail safety. The proposed rule would phase out older DOT-111 tank cars over several years until late 2017.

"I want to be clear and on the record: I will be introducing legislation to support a thicker hull and quicker phase-out than what is currently proposed,” Cantwell said in a press release. "We are not moving fast enough."

Cantwell also asked Foxx to explain the timeline for the USDOT’s proposed rule, and he explained the department expects to finalize new standards in May for tank cars hauling flammable materials, such as crude oil and ethanol. ... "We are in the process of working with the [Office of Management and Budget] and the administration on moving that rule," Foxx said. "I would be getting ahead of myself and OMB by putting a tight deadline on it. There is a high level of urgency on it."

Washington is the fifth-largest refining state and a destination for increasing quantities of crude-by-rail from North Dakota shale fields, according to Cantwell's office. The amount of crude shipped by rail through the state has increased from none in 2011 to 714 million gallons in 2013.

[Sherman A1]

1. I am all for seeing better crude by rail safety

These trains travel by my workplace within about 100 yards. As I have told my co-workers, one of them goes and we won't have a chance to say goodbye.