OTTAWA — Canada is strengthening proposed new safety standards for rail cars that transport crude oil as the governing Conservatives move forward with measures after a 2013 derailment killed 47 people.
Transport Minister Lisa Raitt released new proposals this week that go beyond earlier announcements by requiring rail tankers to have thicker steel, full “head shields” and mandatory thermal “jacket” protection among other upgrades. Raitt said Thursday her government is now “95 percent complete” in overhauling the rules.
Canada is working to harmonize new rules for transporting dangerous goods with the United States as regulators in both countries try to cope with increasing shipments of oil by rail. In Canada, those efforts took on an added urgency after the 2013 crash in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. Resistance from U.S. officials led Canada to put aside tougher requirements for new braking systems, Raitt said in Ottawa today.
The new brakes standard “would be a big investment, and that’s a big change, and not necessarily something we need to do right away, because the jury’s still out on whether or not it works,” she said.
In its online update published Wednesday, Transport Canada said the country’s Transportation Safety Board had pushed for improvements to rules initially published in January 2014.
The standards create “a new class of tank car specifically designed to transport flammable liquids by rail,” Zach Segal, a spokesman for Raitt, said Wednesday.
Rail cars carrying flammable liquids would need to be “jacketed” with an extra layer of protection against extreme heat and have steel at least 9/16ths of an inch thick, an increase from earlier proposals.
Cars would also need full “head shields” to protect the front of the rail car from being punctured, added protection atop the car and a new valve at the bottom.
While Canada continues to work with the U.S. on rail standards, the Americans will make their own decisions on rail tankers, according to the online document.
Speaking Thursday after a speech to the Economic Club of Canada, Raitt said the new proposals don’t include requirements for electronically controlled pneumatic brakes, known as ECP brakes, which Canada had earlier considered as part of its requirements for tankers.
There’s no consensus with U.S. officials, or even within Canada, on the measure, she said, adding “we need to do more work on it, so we’ve put it off to the side.”
TSB spokesman Chris Krepski said Wednesday the agency was reviewing Transport Canada’s latest proposals, which still need cabinet approval. Canada’s two major railways welcomed the new suggested standards.
“The new standards represent a clear advance in tank car safety,” Mark Hallman, a spokesman for Canadian National Railway Co., said in a statement, adding that the “vast majority” of tank cars carrying crude are owned by shippers or rail-car leasing companies. “CN is committed to running a safe railway and complies fully with federal government regulations governing the transportation of dangerous goods.”
Martin Cej, a spokesman for Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., said its chief executive officer, E. Hunter Harrison, has long advocated for safer tank cars. “CP welcomes any progress towards full implementation of safer tank car standards,” Cej said in a statement.
The application of tougher requirements will be staggered, with full deployment by 2025. Existing DOT-111 tank cars can’t carry crude beyond May 1 of 2017.
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