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Wash. Lawmakers Kick Off Session With Work On Oil-Train Safety

"From our standpoint it simply lacks meaningful safeguards necessary to protect our communities in the face of this growing threat that we see to our land, our waters, from the movement of oil trains," said the Sierra Club's Bruce Wishart.

Ericksen's bill does not extend the barrel tax to oil that arrives by pipeline, nor does it increase transparency requirements from oil and rail companies, as Gov. Jay Inslee’s bill does.

The governor's bill, supported by several fellow Democrats in the Legislature, imposes new rules on tanker and barge shipments, and further extends the oil-spill taxation program to pipelines. It also grants greater authority to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission to increase staff and inspections along oil train routes through the state.

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<p>An oil train. Increased oil train traffic in the Northwest is prompting policymakers to consider whether their states have sufficient safety measures in place to deal with the risk of a crash or spill.</p>
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An oil train. Increased oil train traffic in the Northwest is prompting policymakers to consider whether their states have sufficient safety measures in place to deal with the risk of a crash or spill.