Nine Seattle council members signed a letter last week calling for U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to issue an emergency order prohibiting the shipment of Bakken crude in legacy "DOT-111" tank cars.
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Although the U.S. Department of Transportation last week proposed new rules that would phase out the use of DOT-111 cars in two years, the petition seeks to ban the cars immediately.
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Meanwhile, U.S. Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) on Friday announced they will host a rail-car safety training seminar Oct. 6-8 in Fargo, N.D., in partnership with BNSF and GATX Corp.
Local rail workers and emergency responders will receive training at the event using GATX's TankTrainer and Classroom Car. The TankTrainer program is part of GATX's ongoing efforts to educate industry professionals on important tank-car features. ... A 33,500-gallon tank car outfitted with various fittings, coatings and configurations, the TankTrainer enables trainees to access a tank car's interior and exterior for a hands-on exercises. The Classroom Car is a climate-controlled facility used by GATX personnel to provide training courses.