Safety rule to improve oil train spill response readiness

The rule is a revision of an existing one and requires railroads to establish geographic response zones and ensure personnel and equipment are staged and prepared.    The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday a new safety rule that requires railroads to develop and submit comprehensive oil spill response plans for route segments traveled by high hazard flammable trains (HHFTs).
   The final rule — issued by the department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Material’s Safety Administration in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration — applies to HHFTs that are transporting petroleum oil in a block of at least 20 loaded tank cars and trains that have a total of 25 loaded petroleum oil tank cars.
   The rule, which revises the oil spill response plan requirements currently in place, requires railroads to establish geographic response zones along various rail routes and ensure that personnel and equipment are staged and prepared in case of an accident. Railroads also are required to identify the person responsible for each response zone and the organization, personnel and equipment capable of removing and mitigating a worst-case discharge.
    In addition, rail carriers are required to provide information about HHFTs to state and tribal emergency response commissions in according with the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015.
   “This new rule will make the transport of energy products by railroad safer,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.
   The rule is effective 180 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register.