(Reuters circulated the following on January 12.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — New rail tankers hauling the most dangerous chemicals must be made stronger to prevent leaks in the event of a crash, according to regulations finalized on Monday by the U.S. government.
“Strengthening rail hazmat tank cars will reduce the risk of spills and increase public safety should a train accident occur,” Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said in a statement.
The new standard, endorsed by the railroad industry, combines requirements for thicker outer and inner construction to resist puncture, as well as other features to better protect valves, fittings and nozzles from fracturing in a rollover.
The rule imposes a 50 mile-per-hour maximum allowable operating speed for steel tankers fully loaded with poisonous materials such as chlorine for drinking water purification and ammonia for fertilizer.
The cost to tank car owners, not the railroads, is estimated at $153 million over 30 years, the Federal Railroad Administration said.
There are about 15,000 tanker cars that haul the most dangerous hazardous chemicals, according to the American Association of Railroads. About 100,000 carloads of those materials are hauled annually.
Freight railroads, which are required by law to carry hazardous materials, are currently phasing out the use of aging tankers.
The new standard was prompted in part by a 2005 freight derailment in South Carolina where chlorine gas escaped from a ruptured tanker. Nine people were killed.
The Bush administration angered some states and cities last month when it approved a separate rule that continues to allow railroads to ship extremely hazardous material through densely populated areas.
The new routing standard requires railroads to select the safest route, but states and local governments worried about accidents and the threat of attacks targeting rail cars want more input and plan to ask the incoming Obama administration to roll back the rule.
The tanker construction standard set by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the FRA apply to cars built on or after March 16, 2009. Some tank cars in service already meet the new requirements.