The State of Washington has adopted a new rule that requires facilities receiving crude oil by rail to notify the Washington Department of Ecology in advance. The rule also requires pipelines transporting crude oil in the state to submit information about volumes and place of origin twice a year. The newly adopted rule goes into effect October 1, 2016.
The rule allows the Department of Ecology to share crude oil movement information with emergency response agencies through an advance notification system. In addition, the department will publish aggregated public disclosure reports quarterly, summarizing details about oil movement in the state, with the first quarterly report published in January 2017.
The Department of Ecology held four public meetings on the new rule during its 65-day public comment period and received more than 1,000 comments.
“In the wake of recent oil train disasters, Washington is moving quickly to improve public safety and protect our natural resources,” said Washington Governor Inslee. “This rule will assure that our emergency responders get advanced notice before oil train shipments arrive in their communities.”
The rule applies to four facilities in Washington that currently receive crude oil shipments by rail, and to two pipelines that transport crude oil in the state. New facilities and pipelines also will be subject to the rule.