Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Mandate Oil Spill Investigations and Emergency Rules (MOSIER) Act of 2016”.
Mandate Oil Spill Investigations and Emergency Rules (MOSIER) Act of 2016
A BILL
To increase the authorization of the National Transportation Safety Board through fiscal year 2020, to require the NTSB to investigate major oil and other hazardous materials derailments, to expand the Secretary of Transportation’s emergency order authority, and to require the Secretary of Transportation to establish a volatility standard for crude oil transported by rail.
Sec. 2 Reauthorization of the National Transportation Safety Board
Section 1118(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
“(a) In general
“(1) Amounts—There are authorized to be appropriated $108,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2020 to carry out this chapter.
“(2) Availability of funds—Amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.
“(3) Limitation on use of funds—Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1), $2,000,000 shall be dedicated to the costs associated with carrying out railroad accident investigations and investigations of significant railroad incidents.”
Sec. 3 Mandatory NTSB investigations for major oil and other hazardous materials derailments
Section 1131(a)(1)(C) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking “, or that involves a passenger train” and inserting “or involves a passenger train or a significant release of hazardous materials into the environment within a close proximity to communities, personal property, or critical landscapes;”.
Sec. 4 Expanded emergency order authority
Section 20104(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
“(a) Ordering restrictions and prohibitions—If the Secretary of Transportation, through incident, testing, inspection, investigation, or research carried out under this part, determines that an unsafe condition, practice, or occurrence, or a combination of unsafe conditions, occurrences, and practices, causes (or has the potential to cause) an emergency or reoccurring situation involving a hazard of death, personal injury, or significant harm to the environment, the Secretary may immediately order such restrictions, prohibitions, or moratoriums without regard to section 20103(e) that may be necessary to abate the situation or prevent accidents of a similar nature or result.”
Sec. 5 Volatility standard for crude oil transported by rail
In general— Subchapter II of chapter 201 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 20153 the following:
“20154. Maximum crude oil volatility standard
“Not later than 9 months after the date of the enactment of the Mandate Oil Spill Investigations and Emergency Rules (MOSIER) Act of 2016, the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall establish and enforce a national standard for the maximum volatility of crude oil to be permitted to be shipped by rail based on the safest practicable standard.”
Clerical amendment— The table of sections for chapter 201 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 20153 the following: