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U.S. NEWS Friday 24 May 2019

U.S. withdraws train crew proposal that came after explosions

By MATTHEW BROWN rying oil and ethanol have islative affairs director for
Associated Press occurred in North Dakota, SMART Transportation Divi-
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Oregon, Montana, Illinois, sion, a rail workers union.
Trump administration said Virginia and other states. "The government has es-
Thursday it was withdraw- Under Obama, regulators sentially said we're not go-
ing a proposal for freight concluded that having two ing to provide any oversight
trains to have at least two or more crew members whatsoever. Whatever the
crew members, nullifying would be worth the extra railroads want to do, they
a safety measure drafted cost even if it prevented a can do," Risch said.
under President Barack single accident. The Federal Railroad Ad-
Obama in response to ex- The rail industry, which long ministration said in a state-
plosions of crude oil trains in maintained that crew re- ment that the rail industry
the U.S. and Canada. quirements were unneces- has "maintained a strong
A review of accident data sary, cheered Thursday's safety record in the ab-
did not support the no- move. sence of regulation on this
tion that having one crew But a representative for issue." In this Dec. 30, 2013 file photo, a fireball goes up at the site of an
member is less safe than a rail workers union said The statement also said a oil train derailment near Casselton, N.D.
multi-person crews, Depart- it would put the public at crew staffing rule would Associated Press
ment of Transportation of- greater risk by removing a have would have been "an
ficials said. The withdrawal safeguard against acci- unnecessary obstacle" to month eased inspection sentatives said the with-
also seeks to pre-empt dents. Most trains currently future innovation in the in- requirements for offshore drawn crew rule would
states from regulating crew operate with at least two dustry. oil and gas drilling put in have locked them into
sizes. crew members but without Thursday's withdrawal place after the deadly crew sizes at a time when
The 2016 proposal fol- a government regulation marks the latest rollback 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon the industry is expanding
lowed oil train derailments there's no guarantee that since President Donald explosion and oil spill. And the use of new technolo-
including a runaway oil would continue indefinitely. Trump took office of safe- transportation officials had gies such as positive train
train in 2013 that derailed, "If railroads would start ty rules adopted under earlier rescinded a require- control. Those are com-
exploded and killed 47 running single person op- Obama in the face of op- ment for more advanced puter-based systems that
people while levelling erators, there's nobody up position from the energy electronic brakes for trains can automatically stop
much of the town of Lac there to interact to make and transportation indus- hauling crude and other trains to prevent accidents
Megantic, Canada. Other sure everything is done tries. hazardous fuels. caused by high speed or
derailments of trains car- right," said John Risch, leg- The administration this Railroad company repre- collisions.q