Four AGs Filed Comments in Support of the State of Washington’s Effort to Regulate Bomb Trains

OCTOBER 23, 2019

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of four attorneys general in submitting comments to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in support of Washington state’s regulations that limit the volatility of oil transported through the state by train. The letter was prompted by a petition from North Dakota and Montana to preempt Washington’s regulations with a weaker federal regulation. PHMSA has not set a protective nationwide limit for vapor pressure of crude oil transported by rail in the United States. In their letter, the AGs note that “efforts at the federal level have either lagged or have affirmatively sought to roll back critical safety protections for high-hazard flammable unit trains that transport crude oil across the country.”