Oil-train rules leave questions unanswered
WASHINGTON - The U.S. and Canadian governments on Friday unveiled a long-awaited new standard for tank cars used to transport crude oil and ethanol, one that includes numerous safety improvements.
WASHINGTON - The U.S. and Canadian governments on Friday unveiled a long-awaited new standard for tank cars used to transport crude oil and ethanol, one that includes numerous safety improvements.
But it is far from the final word on efforts to reduce the risk of catastrophic derailments, such as the one that killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, nearly two years ago.
And industry and environmental groups are bracing for a court fight over portions of the new regulations.
Most of the current tank-car fleet that does not meet the new requirements will be allowed to carry ethanol and some types of crude oil for eight more years. Environmental groups and some lawmakers objected Friday to the extended deadline.
It will be two years before the Energy and Transportation Departments complete a study on the properties of crude oil and how they affect the way it reacts in derailments. While the rail industry supports the new tank-car standard, it opposes the requirement for an electronic braking system on certain trains by January 2021.
The regulation also expands the amount of information about rail shipments of flammable liquids that will be available to emergency responders, but incorporates the requirement into an existing regulation that would exempt it from public disclosure.
In Washington on Friday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt introduced the new regulations, which are generally in sync on both sides of the border, given the seamless nature of the North American rail system.
"Tank cars cross the border every day," Raitt said in a news conference with Foxx, "so it's important that the regulations apply equally in both countries."
The new tank car, called the DOT-117, will have features designed to prevent it from puncturing in a derailment and to let it better withstand prolonged exposure to fire.
The regulation requires that beginning Oct. 1, new tank cars built to transport flammable liquids have thicker shells, full-height shields on each end of the cars, and a layer of thermal insulation on the outside. The new standard also requires more protection for valves and outlets.
Since the late 19th century, trains have operated with mechanical air brakes. The Federal Railroad Administration has said electronic brakes would enable trains to stop quicker and could prevent pileups characteristic of recent oil train accidents.
In a phone call with reporters Friday, Ed Hamberger, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, criticized the braking requirement, saying it would not prevent accidents.
