Marad Celebrates Deployment of Maritime Fuel Cell Project
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) today celebrated the launch of field trials for the first prototype hydrogen fuel cell unit to power onboard refrigerated containers. MARAD, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy, provided $815,000 to fund the clean energy powered container unit that could pave the way to dramatically reduced harmful emissions at the Port of Honolulu.
New DOT Brake Rule Angers Rail Industry
U.S. regulators took on the powerful rail industry on Friday, announcing plans to require expensive, high-tech braking technology the railways insist is unproven and unreliable. Regulators say the new electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes could reduce the severity of crashes, preventing pile-ups. Canada has promised to "harmonize" its regulations with the United States. The U.S.
North Dakota's Train Safety Rules Inadequate
New regulations to cap vapor pressure of North Dakota crude fail to account for how it behaves in transit, according to industry experts, raising doubts about whether the state's much-anticipated rules will make oil train shipments safer. High vapor pressure has been identified as a possible factor in the fireball explosions witnessed after oil train derailments in Illinois and West Virginia in recent weeks.
US Railroads Must Answer for Oil Train Mishaps
The rail industry is chiefly responsible for preventing oil train accidents and U.S. regulators must do more to keep trains on the tracks, a leading voice for the energy industry said on Monday. "Any effort to enhance rail safety must begin with addressing track integrity and human factors," Charles Drevna, president of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
US DOT Plans Staggered Phase-out for Old Oil Tank Cars
The U.S. Department of Transportation proposes phasing out older DOT-111 railcars for shipping highly flammable crude oils, known as packing group 1, within 2 years, an aide to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said on Wednesday. Older DOT-111 cars would be phased out for the less flammable crudes in packing groups two and three over three and five years respectively, the aide said. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner, writing by Edward McAllister)
US Places New Rules on Rail Oil Shippers
U.S. Oil-by-rail shippers must advise state officials when their cargo moves across the state, the U.S. Transportation secretary said on Wednesday, as officials took further steps in response to a string of fiery derailments. Secretary Anthony Foxx, addressing lawmakers, also said DOT-111 tank cars, the workhorse of the oil-by-rail sector, were not fit for such cargo and should be taken out of circulation or made sturdier.
Oil-by-rail Shippers Withholding Important Data
Oil-by-rail shippers have mostly ignored officials seeking data by officials trying to prevent dangerous mishaps on the tracks, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Friday. Regulators are eyeing North Dakota's energy patch, known as the Bakken, which was the origin of several doomed shipments such as this week's derailment in Lynchburg, Virginia in which 15 tank cars jumped the tracks, causing a fire.
U.S. Rules Could Settle Tank Car Dispute For Oil-By-Rail Sector
New rules on moving hazardous materials like crude oil on U.S. railroads could settle a dispute between the energy industry and rail companies that boils down to a fraction of an inch of steel in the frame of each tank car. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx wrote Thursday in a blog post that his agency would send its proposals to the White House for review next week. The proposal will include "options for enhancing tank car standards," he said.
US Urges Rail Sector to Agree on Safer Tank Car
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on Wednesday asked oil-by-rail leaders to create a tank car fit to carry the kinds of fuel involved in recent fiery derailments even as he dodged lawmaker questions about when such a plan would be ready. Rail shipments of oil have been on the rise in regions that lack sufficient pipelines such as North Dakota's Bakken energy patch, where…
