SEATTLE -- Washington U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell introduced a bill Wednesday requiring new safety measures for oil trains.
Cantwell said Washington has gone from no oil trains a few years ago to two per day in the state, and up to 16 in the next few years.
She said those trains pass through the downtown cores of every major city in the state. And with four explosive oil accidents in the country since February, it's time to take action.
Her new bill would require monitoring and testing of the volatility of the oil being loaded into trains. It would also require replacement of all older, less safe oil cars and more improvements of track and infrastructure.
BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said the company also wants new rail cars and is helping support development of them. He also said BNSF made $500,000,000's worth of track improvements in Washington state over the last three years.
Cantwell's bill would also impose heavier fines for violators of the new safety rules.
