Court Overturns Ban on Hazwaste Rail Shipments in D.C.

Date: April 27, 2005

Source: News Room

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (www.cadc.uscourts.gov) has overturned a lower court ruling that would permit the city of Washington to temporarily block rail shipments of hazardous materials because of national security concerns. CSX Corp. (www.csx.com) had sought a preliminary injunction against the ordinance to reroute tankers from around the capital, saying the restriction, covering an area within two miles of the U.S. Capitol building, was preempted by federal law. The Bush administration supported CSX's position; the court found that security was a national, not local, concern and that the restriction placed an undue burden on the company.

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