Oregon House passes bill requiring spill plans for oil trains

The Oregon House passed a bill Monday to require trains carrying oil through “high-hazard routes” to have detailed spill emergency response plans. The response plans must be reviewed and approved by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Railroads will have to prove that they have enough insurance to pay for worst-case-scenario spills, or about 15 percent of the oil train’s load.

Railroads, along with companies that own the oil, would pay fees toward funding new Department of Environmental Quality positions and emergency spill and derailment response training.

The legislation, House Bill 2209, passed with a bipartisan 56-3 vote. It will now move to the Oregon Senate, where it’s expected to be approved.

Read more: https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2019/06/17/house-passes-bill-requiring-spill-plans-for-oil.html