CSX Sues D.C. Over Law Barring Hazmat Freight

A freight railroad company yesterday sued the District of Columbia in an effort to undo emergency legislation barring rail shipments of chlorine and other toxic materials within two miles of the U.S. Capitol, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Feb. 16).

CSX Corp. asked in U.S. District Court that the law be declared unconstitutional on the grounds that it impedes interstate commerce. The law only stands for 90 days, but council members have said they plan to seek a permanent ban.

CSX has taken security matters seriously since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the company said. Company spokesman Robert Sullivan added that security should be coordinated with federal agencies.

“What you’re going to end up with otherwise is this sort of patchwork quilt where you have different communities setting different standards,” he said.

The company also plans to seek a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to defeat the law, Sullivan said (Associated Press/Baltimore Sun, Feb. 17).

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