Washington State Signs Law to Restrict Crude-by-Rail RVP

Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a law May 9 that limits the Reed Vapor Pressure of crude oil that facilities in the state may load or unload. Any volumes that are more than 10% by volume of what was handled in 2018 must have an RVP of 9 psi or less or be treated to meet that standard. The states of North Dakota and Montana have threatened to challenge the rule in the courts and have applied to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for a determination whether federal law preempts Washington state’s law (see Federal Register notice for further information). ILTA is closely following this issue and will comment on the application to prevent state interference in the transportation of commodities handled by our members.