WASHINGTON (KFGO-AM) The National Transportation Safety Board has made three recommendations to federal regulators to improve safety standards for transporting oil by rail. The action comes following last month's fiery oil train derailment at Casselton and a series of other derailments involving trains carrying crude from the Bakken oil patch.
The recommendations would require expanding hazardous materials route planning to avoid populated area's and setting up a program to ensure railroads that carry petroleum products have adequate response capabilities to handle worst-case accidents. The third recommendation is to audit shippers and rail carriers to make sure they are properly classifying hazardous materials they're hauling and and that they have adequate safety and security plans in place.