Walden: Past time to finish oil-car safety rules
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., is urging Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to finalize proposed new safety guidelines for rail tank cars. The Department of Transportation has already missed a legally-mandated deadline of January, and is now saying that the rules may come out in May.
“With recent accidents like the one in West Virginia, it is more important than ever that Oregonians know that rail cars passing through our communities are safe,” Walden said.
“The deadline for new rail safety guidelines has come and gone, but the Administration is still dragging their feet. Lives and property in Oregon and throughout the nation are on the line. I urge the Transportation Department to finalize these important new guidelines as soon as possible.”
In the letter, Walden told Secretary Foxx of the importance of rail car safety to communities throughout Oregon, especially in the Columbia Gorge.
“With this delay, state and local governments nationwide are forced to continue to live with the uncertainty that comes from having the current, outdated DOT-111 tank cars moving through their communities,” Walden wrote in the letter. The full text is below.
“Across Oregon, the volume of oil tank cars moving through the state is projected to continue to increase dramatically. In the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area and local communities, including my hometown of Hood River, Oregon, railroad tracks run through several downtown areas, and train derailments and crude oil spills could be catastrophic,” he said.
“First responders responsible for protecting lives and public safety during times of emergency will bear the cost of cleaning up spills and explosions because of DOT’s delay,” he continued.
“Railroad shippers, railcar manufacturers, and local communities agree: transportation of these flammable materials needs to be improved and further delays are unacceptable. I urge you to promptly finalize the Enhanced Tank Car Standards and Operational Controls for High-Hazard Flammable Trains rule,” Walden concluded.
Text of the letter:
Dear Secretary Foxx:
I write today to express concern with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) repeated delays in publishing and finalizing the proposed rule regarding Enhanced Tank Car Standards and Operational Controls for High-Hazard Flammable Trains. It has now been over 18 months since the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) first issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), and I was very disappointed that earlier this year, PHMSA announced they would be delaying the release of this critical rule until May, missing the January 15 deadline established by Congress in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015.
With this delay, state and local governments nationwide are forced to continue to live with the uncertainty that comes from having the current, outdated DOT-111 tank cars moving through their communities. According to the Association of American Railroads, the volume of crude oil shipped by rail has increased from 9,500 carloads in 2008 to 400,000 carloads in 2013. And according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in 2013, more than 290,000 tank cars transported ethanol. Across Oregon, the volume of oil tank cars moving through the state is projected to continue to increase dramatically.
In the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area and local communities, including my hometown of Hood River, Oregon, railroad tracks run through several downtown areas and train derailments and crude oil spills could be catastrophic. First responders responsible for protecting lives and public safety during times of emergency will bear the cost of cleaning up spills and explosions because of DOT’s delay.
The lack of certainty on the proposed rule does not just affect our local communities. It also prevents private industry from investing in more advanced safety measures. Without the DOT’s finalized rule, shippers will continue to use existing tank cars, delaying upgrades and purchases until the new regulations are in place. These delays not only keep older tank cars on the rails, but they also prevent companies from investing in our economy.
Railroad shippers, railcar manufacturers, and local communities agree: transportation of these flammable materials needs to be improved and further delays are unacceptable. I urge you to promptly finalize the Enhanced Tank Car Standards and Operational Controls for High-Hazard Flammable Trains rule. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
