US Says Washington State Overstepped With Oil Train Law

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday moved to block a Washington state law that imposed safety restrictions on oil shipments by rail in response to numerous explosive accidents.

The Department of Transportation determined federal law preempts the state's mandate that crude from the oil fields of the Northern Plains have more of its volatile gases removed prior to being loaded onto rail cars.

The attorneys general for Montana and North Dakota had argued the law effectively banned crude from their states.

A spokesperson for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says the state is considering its legal options in response to the determination.