D.C. Council initiates second round of hazmat ban
The District of Columbia City Council unanimously passed a bill that would ban certain ultra-hazardous material shipments from an area near the nation’s Capitol for 245 days.
The temporary legislation follows a 90-day emergency ban signed into law in February by Mayor Anthony Williams that is set to go into effect later this month. District officials want CSX to reroute the most hazardous chemical shipments that can quickly kill large numbers of people if gas is released in a terrorist attack on a tank car.
CSX Transportation, the railroad at whom the bill is directed, has filed an injunction in federal district court to block the emergency bill, and has asked the Department of Transportation to step in to uphold federal powers over interstate commerce.
The council is also preparing legislation for a permanent ban.