As White House Considers Crude by Rail Rules, Maloney Advocates for Strong Minimum Safety Standard in New and Existing Tank Cars

Washington, DC – After a freight train transporting crude oil derailed in West Virginia, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan requesting quick approval of strong minimum safety standards in the rules for crude oil transport, recommended last week by the Department of Transportation.

In his letter, Maloney wrote, “We can all agree that we must prioritize replacing and retrofitting dangerously inadequate DOT-111 tank cars that are prone to splitting, but as we’ve seen in recent accidents, we also need enhanced tank car standards established that go beyond the current industry standard. Although some CPC-1232 have been retrofitted, newer CPC 1232 cars have the same thin shell as DOT-111 tank cars […] In addition, we must implement an aggressive two-year deadline for retrofitting and modifying cars. As we have seen, these accidents continue to happen frequently and without warning.”

Maloney concluded the letter, “I request that you act with utmost urgency to approve these rules to create basic standards and reduce the risks associated with crude oil transportation by rail. There’s not a moment to waste on finalizing and implementing strong regulations.”

Maloney is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Two weeks ago, Rep. Maloney questioned rail executives on tank car standards and for the last year, he has continually pushed for the immediate implementation of crude by rail regulations that would begin phasing out the use of older, structurally insufficient and dangerous DOT-111 tank cars, issue new standards for tanker cars carrying highly hazardous materials, reduce operating speeds, and require notification for first responders

The full letter is as follows:

Dear Director Donovan,

As you attempt to quickly approve the final draft of rules for tank cars carrying crude, I write to express my support for the strongest safety standards for both newly-built tank cars and for tank cars currently in service. On Monday, a freight train carrying crude oil cars derailed near Mount Carbon, WV sparking an explosion. The oil was not in the obsolete DOT-111 cars, but in the “safer” CPC-1232 cars. We’ve also seen multiple tragic and disastrous derailments in places like Quebec, North Dakota, Minnesota and Lynchburg that have detrimental economic and environmental impacts for years to come. It is clear that even the industry proposed tanker standards are still not satisfactory to prevent serious accidents involving trains carrying millions of pounds of highly flammable and explosive crude oil.

This past week, the U.S. Department of Transportation sent a series of proposed rules on classification, rail routing, operating speeds, enhanced braking, and new standards for new and existing tank cars. We can all agree that we must prioritize replacing and retrofitting dangerously inadequate DOT-111 tank cars that are prone to splitting, but as we’ve seen in recent accidents, we also need enhanced tank car standards established that go beyond the current industry standard. Although some CPC-1232 have been retrofitted, newer CPC 1232 cars have the same thin shell as DOT-111 tank cars. The final rule should include a minimum standard for new tank cars including: 9/16 inch steel; a high capacity pressure relief valve; 1/2 inch full-height shields in front and back; ceramic thermal jacket around the tank shell and an outer steel jacket; rollover protection; and electronically controlled brakes. This most similarly meets the “Tank Option One” standards originally proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation last year.

In addition, we must implement an aggressive two-year deadline for retrofitting and modifying cars. As we have seen, these accidents continue to happen frequently and without warning. The safety of communities and the health of our environment are far too important to keep waiting for additional months or years –especially in the Hudson Valley.

I request that you act with utmost urgency to approve these rules to create basic standards and reduce the risks associated with crude oil transportation by rail. There’s not a moment to waste on finalizing and implementing strong regulations.

Sincerely,
Sean Patrick Maloney
Member of Congress

CC: President Barack Obama
CC: Secretary Anthony Foxx

Author: Harlem Valley News