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Oct 02, 2014
The American Soybean Association this week signed onto comments, along with 29 other agricultural organizations, expressing views on the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Proposed Rule on rail tank car standards for high-hazard flammable trains. While not directly impacting rail cars used to ship soybeans, there is concern among agricultural shippers that the new requirements proposed by PHMSA could add to the already severe rail congestion issues.
The primary points made in the comments are that: 1) expanding the areas where trains carrying hazmat are subject to lower speed limits is unnecessary and would add to rail congestion issues, 2) PHMSA should modify the proposed schedule for retrofitting or replacing the 30,000 ethanol tank cars currently in service, and 3) PHMSA should take a more comprehensive, risk-based approach to rail safety by addressing such factors as substandard track conditions, inadequate track and/or roadbed maintenance, as well as human error.
The full comments can be viewed here.
