Greg Walden to Transportation Secretary: Time to Take Action on Rail Car Safety

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) is urging Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to finalize proposed new safety guidelines for rail tank cars. The Department of Transportation has already missed a legally-mandated deadline of January, and is now saying that the rules may come out in May.

"With recent accidents like the one in West Virginia, it is more important than ever that Oregonians know that rail cars passing through our communities are safe. The deadline for new rail safety guidelines has come and gone, but the Administration is still dragging their feet. Lives and property in Oregon and throughout the nation are on the line. I urge the Transportation Department to finalize these important new guidelines as soon as possible," Walden said.

In the letter, Walden told Secretary Foxx of the importance of rail car safety to communities throughout Oregon, especially in the Columbia Gorge. "With this delay, state and local governments nationwide are forced to continue to live with the uncertainty that comes from having the current, outdated DOT-111 tank cars moving through their communities," Walden wrote in the letter. The full text is below:

"Across Oregon, the volume of oil tank cars moving through the state is projected to continue to increase dramatically. In the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area and local communities, including my hometown of Hood River, Oregon, railroad tracks run through several downtown areas and train derailments and crude oil spills could be catastrophic. First responders responsible for protecting lives and public safety during times of emergency will bear the cost of cleaning up spills and explosions because of DOT's delay," he continued.

"Railroad shippers, railcar manufacturers, and local communities agree: transportation of these flammable materials needs to be improved and further delays are unacceptable. I urge you to promptly finalize the Enhanced Tank Car Standards and Operational Controls for High-Hazard Flammable Trains rule," Walden concluded.

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