WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal regulators are proposing to phase out thousands of older rail tank cars that carry crude oil. It's the government's response to a series of fiery train crashes over the past year, including a runaway oil train that exploded in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic killing 47 people and December's derailment near Casselton.
The Department of Transportation said Wednesday that older DOT-111 tank cars will have to be retrofitted or replaced.
Accident investigators have complained for decades that the cars are too easily punctured or ruptured when derailed, spilling their contents.