Salem-News.com Hazardous Materials articles

Department of Transportation to Establish New Rules to Ensure Safety of Oil Rail Tankers

The proposed new regulations would extend those precautions to all trains carrying 20 or more tank carloads of either crude or ethanol.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - After months of pressure by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, other legislators, and advocates around the country, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx announced Wednesday that the Department of Transportation will take steps to establish new regulations to improve the safe transportation of crude oil by rail.

Since the release of an emergency order by DOT in May setting transportation safety standards of Bakken crude by rail, Senator Merkley has called for better notification to state and local first responders of not only Bakken crude, but all flammable substances being transported by rail.