The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have released a “Frequently Asked Questions” document on implementing the upcoming phase-out of DOT-111 specification tank cars from ethanol service.
![Rep. Fetterman said the newly unveiled Railway Accountability Act makes clear that senators are “doing everything we can to prevent a disaster like [the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment] from happening again.”](https://www.railwayage.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Fetterman_Official_Portrait-610x762-1-300x220.jpg)
Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) have added a fourth railroad safety bill to three currently circulating on Capitol Hill by introducing on March 30 one they
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), on March 22 released a safety advisory, which it said was to “re-emphasize previously raised concerns about the survivability of DOT-111 tank cars and encourage tank car owners and shippers of flammable liquids to voluntarily upgrade their tank car fleets to the newest, and safest, available tank car design authorized for flammable liquid service—the DOT-117 specification tank car.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced March 20 more than $25 million available in grant funding through its pipeline and hazardous materials (hazmat) safety programs for projects that will “train first responders, strengthen safety programs, improve safety, reduce environmental impacts, and educate the public on local safety initiatives.”
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).
