Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden introduced legislation that will take on the threats posed by oil trains and help prevent horrific accidents like what happened in Mosier, Oregon last month. The Mandate Oil Spill Inspections and Emergency Rules (MOSIER) Act would require the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate every major oil train derailment, clarify the Federal Rail Administration’s authority to place moratoriums on oil train traffic when accidents do happen, and require the Department of Transportation to reduce the amount of volatile gases in the crude oil these trains transport. Learn more
Meanwhile the NTSB hosted a forum on oil train safety, but 80% of the attendees were from oil and railroad companies.
