The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has published a Safety Advisory Notice for railroad emergency preparedness, in response to the Feb. 3 derailment of 11 Norfolk Southern (NS) hazardous materials
Following the derailment of 11 Norfolk Southern (NS) hazardous materials (hazmat) tank cars in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) says it is “marking significant early progress on its efforts to hold the rail industry accountable to work with Congress on key rail safety reforms that will improve safety for communities and rail workers in the long-term.”
Following the completion of damage assessment inspections of the 11 Norfolk Southern (NS) hazardous materials (hazmat) tank cars, including the five carrying vinyl chloride, that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says it is “concerned that aluminum protective housing covers on some tank cars melted or were consumed when pressure relief devices (PRDs) vented burning gas while functioning as designed to relieve tank pressure.”
White House Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu and former Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Howard R. “Skip” Elliott are featured speakers at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s (ASLRRA) Annual Conference & Exhibition, to be held April 2-4 in New Orleans, La.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on March 1 announced a national initiative for focused inspections on routes that carry high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs) and other trains carrying large volumes of hazardous material (hazmat) commodities.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on Feb. 7 announced that it is now accepting proposals for funding ranging from $150,000 to $200,000 from its Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) to “spur research and commercialization of innovative transportation technologies in select research areas,” including the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
Gas Innovations LNG Refrigerants Inc. is seeking authorization to transport cryogenic ethane via rail in DOT-113C120W9 and DOT-113C120W tank cars, according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). PHMSA, in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), is reviewing the special permit application and requesting comments on it, since it “raises issues similar to the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail, a matter for which multiple rulemakings are currently pending at the agency.”
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will distribute $32.4 million to states, territories and tribes for six hazardous materials safety grant programs in FY 2022.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently determined that the probable cause of a February 13, 2020, derailment of CSX Transportation (CSX) train K42911 on a railroad track that runs between a hillside and the Russel Fork River in Draffin, Ky., was loose mud, vegetation, sand, soil and rock from a mudslide that obstructed the track following excessive rain accumulation over several weeks.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is amending Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to harmonize U.S. laws with numerous international standards, including better alignment with Transport Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations.