Transportation Agenda Could Be Derailed; NW Regional Response Team Links

Loaded transportation agenda could easily be derailed

By Adam Snider     1/2/15     Politico

There’s a laundry list of things transportation lawmakers want to get done in 2015, but they could easily be stymied by old foes, primarily a lack of money and partisan wrangling ahead of the 2016 presidential election…..

….Regulators are hoping to put out rules early in the year on hot-button issues such as commercial drones and the safety of rail cars that carry volatile crude oil. Also pending is a rule that would ban cellphone conversations on planes and a slew of policy changes mandated by the last surface transportation bill two years ago…..

….There’s also a rail safety bill on the horizon that could offer a chance to deal with the rising number of trains carrying crude oil, several of which have had headline-grabbing accidents and spills.

The DOT will also be grappling with how to stem the tide of oil train accidents. Officials hope to put out a rule in early 2015 that would set a new standard for the tank cars that carry crude and other volatile materials. The so-called cromnibus, which was recently enacted, moved the deadline for that rule up by about two months, to Jan. 15. However, most regard that as a statement from Congress more than a hard and fast deadline considering the timing.....  more here

 

Region 10 Regional Response Team (RRT) and the Northwest Area Committee (NWAC) 

h/t Sharon Rickman

Regional Response Team Mission Statement

The mission of the Region 10 Regional Response Team (RRT) and the Northwest Area Committee (NWAC) is to protect public health and safety and the environment by ensuring coordinated, efficient, and effective support of the federal, state, tribal, local, and international responses to significant oil and hazardous substance incidents within the Pacific Northwest Region as mandated by the National Contingency Plan (NCP). We are also committed to providing for the development of the NWAC plan and coordination of preparedness activities prior to a pollution incident by addressing regional and international issues and providing guidance to industry, State Emergency Response Commissions, Tribal Emergency Response Commissions, and Local Emergency Planning Committees.

Docs of interest: 

New Fact Sheet:  National Response Team training slide deck on Bakken Crude  

June 2014  CANADA - UNITED STATES JOINT MARINE POLLUTION CONTINGENCY PLAN (JCP) ANNEX 3:   PACIFIC - GEOGRAPHICAL ANNEX

NEW SAFETY ALERT ON BAKKEN CRUDE RAIL FILES from PHMSA:

UPCOMING NW AREA COMMITTEE MEETING:

Tuesday, 10 February 2015    Sequim, WA

AGENDA