Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber is calling for a thorough review of oil train safety.
According to the governor's spokeswoman Rachel Wray, the governor's office is convening a series of meetings with public officials to assess Oregon's role in rail safety and its ability to respond to derailments.
Wray says the governor wants to be sure emergency responders along that route are properly trained to handle an oil train derailment and that they have better information about what kind of material is traveling through local communities.
"We need to make sure we're doing everything we can to fill any gaps, improve communications and really work together between all the entities overseeing health, safety and transportation in the state," Wray said.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee wants his administration to spend $652,000 to assess the risks of increased use of trains and ships to transport oil through the state. State lawmakers are considering legislation that would require companies to disclose more information about oil being transported through the state.
Katie Campbell contributed to this report.
Copyright 2020 EarthFix. To see more, visit .
