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U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced a final rule for the safe transportation of crude oil and other liquids via rial.
Delaware has seen sharply higher rail traffic from crude oil shipments that move through the state or become feedstock for the Delaware City Refinery.
Derailments have led to fires and environmental damage in some cases. There has been concern that crude oil from North Dakota has quantities of gas that can trigger explosions.
Crude oil comes to Delaware from North Dakota and to a lesser extent from Canada via rail.
The final rule was developed by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), in coordination with Canada requires the following:
–A new, enhanced tank car standard and an aggressive, risk-based retrofitting schedule for older tank cars carrying crude oil and ethanol;
– A new braking standard for certain trains that will offer a superior level of safety by potentially reducing the severity of an accident, and the “pile-up effect”;
– A new operational protocols for trains transporting large volumes of flammable liquids, such as routing requirements, speed restrictions, and information for local government agencies; and
– A new sampling and testing requirements to improve classification of energy products placed into transport.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Energy (DOE), in coordination with the White House, are pursuing strategies to improve safety.
