BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday moved to block a Washington state law that imposes safety restrictions on oil shipments that travel by rail. The restrictions were put into place in response to numerous explosive accidents.
The Department of Transportation determined federal law preempts Washington state’s mandate that crude from the oil fields of the Northern Plains has to have more of its volatile gases removed before it’s loaded onto rail cars and shipped here.
The attorneys general for Montana and North Dakota had argued the law effectively banned crude from their states.
A spokesperson for Gov. Inslee says the state is considering its legal options in response to the determination.