A few weeks ago Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf sent an open and public letter to CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, two major railroads operating in the state, trying to pressure them into accepting the idea that PA may try and slip its own regulations on top of federal regulations with regard to crude oil trains traveling through the state, most of them coming from the North Dakota Bakken Shale region (see PA Gov Wolf Takes Aim at Bakken Oil Trains Traveling Thru PA). Wolf, in his letter, urged both companies “to join Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) in adopting improved safety initiatives for all trains with crude-by-rail (CBR) cars operating in Pennsylvania and to fully and expeditiously comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s announced Final Rule.” Norfolk Southern has responded with their own open letter back to Wolf (copy embedded below). It’s message? We’re already in compliance with most of the DOT’s Final Rule, and we go over and above the standards in the Final Rule and standards followed by others like BNSF. So put that in your pipe and smoke it Mr. Wolf…
