PHMSA is extending the deadline for comments due today (March 21, 2017) on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) issued on January 18, 2017. The new deadline for comments is May 19, 2017. The ANPRM was issued in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by state of New York, enquiring about risks posed by transport of petroleum by means other than pipeline, specifically by rail, and whether to establish vapor pressure standards for the transportation of crude oil. The ANPRM requested comments on whether a national standard should be developed for vapor pressure of crude oil, including the potential safety benefits and costs of establishing a standard. The intent of the ANPRM is to evaluate measures to reduce risk of fire and explosion in non-pipeline transport of crude oil such as a national vapor pressure standard and, if so, adopt appropriate threshold recommendations for the standard.
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Crude by Rail
PHMSA Rail Transportation Rules Reflect Pressure to Act in the Face of Recent Oil Train Derailments
Under pressure from Congress, NTSB, and the public to take regulatory action in light of recent accidents involving oil trains, PHMSA finalized its regulations applicable to “High-Hazard Flammable Trains” in a Final Rule issued a mere nine months after it was proposed in an August 1, 2014 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
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Crude by Rail Developments
In response to recent crude by rail incidents in the United States and Canada, Congress, PHMSA, NTSB, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and even some railroads have proposed improvements in safety standards for trains transporting crude oil.
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Proposed Rules Target Rail Transportation of Crude and Ethanol
In response to recent crude oil train derailments in the U.S. and Canada, PHMSA has proposed two rulemakings intended to prevent and mitigate the consequences of crude by rail incidents.
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