Oregon's Senators Praise Tougher Railroad Standards for Union Pacific

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Union Pacific Railroad has agreed to meet higher safety standards following an oil train derailment near Mosier, Ore., earlier this year.

Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley praised the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) announcement of higher safety standards in a joint statement.

“We welcome the Federal Railroad Administration’s decision to hold Union Pacific to higher safety standards following the disastrous oil train derailment in Mosier this year. While banning oil trains from the Columbia Gorge is the only way to completely eliminate future derailments, this agreement has the potential to significantly improve railroad safety – something we have been calling for since 2014."

In July, the senators introduced a bill to require the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate every major oil train derailment and clarify the Federal Rail Administration’s authority to place moratoriums on oil train traffic when derailments occur.

The bill, the Mandate Oil Spill Inspections and Emergency Rules (MOSIER) Act, would also require the Department of Transportation to reduce the amount of volatile gases in the crude oil that trains transport.

“We will review the compliance agreement’s details to ensure it helps protect communities near train tracks, and will closely monitor its enforcement to ensure the Trump administration upholds the agreement’s requirements,” the Senators said in their joint statement.

- Photo via Clay Gilliland Flickr