Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, has welcomed suggestions that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration could be set to accelerate the implementation of new safety standards for rail tank cars.
Mr Ness said the Association of American Railroads had been calling on the PHMSA to adopt the new safety standards since March 2011.
“The PHMSA has sat on the enhanced safety standards for more than two years,” remarked Mr Ness in a statement.
He went on to explain how uncertainty surrounding the changes had prevented manufacturers from making investments in the construction of new railcars.
“We are pleased to find out these standards may finally be closer to being released so manufacturers can begin production of better, more secure rail cars. We applaud our congressional delegation for putting pressure on regulators to move more quickly on approving these standards.”
“The industry always has and always will hold safety as a top priority.”
Mr Ness said “regulatory certainty” was now needed to begin making the “safety upgrades without further delays.”
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