Proposed Rule to Increase Federal Oversight of Liquid Petroleum Oil Transport

        The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has published a proposed rule in the Federal Register this week that will broaden federal oversight of rail transportation of liquid petroleum oil.  The rule would expand the number of trains that will be required to formulate comprehensive oil spill response plans.  Additionally, the rule would require railroads to share information about high-hazard flammable train operations with state and tribal emergency response commissions, in hopes of increasing community preparedness for potential spills.  For an in-depth article on the new PHMSA rule be sure to check out the linked article.  Also, be sure to take a look at the published proposed rule.