"WASHINGTON - The U.S. Transportation Department on Thursday issued final rules requiring railroads to develop oil spill response plans and to disclose details of shipments to states and tribal governments after a series of high-profile incidents.

The department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said the rules, first proposed in July 2016, would “improve oil spill response readiness and mitigate effects of rail accidents and incidents involving petroleum oil and high-hazard flammable trains.”

The new regulation “is necessary due to expansion in U.S. energy production having led to significant challenges for the country’s transportation system,” the agency added."

David Shepardson reports for Reuters February 14, 2019. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Oil-by-Rail Rises Once Again as Safety Rules Disappear" (DeSmog: 10/17/2018)
https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/17/safety-rules-rollback-second-oil-t... [3]