Bills aim to beef up oil transportation safety

SEATTLE (AP) — With more crude oil expected to move through Washington state, Democratic lawmakers want to toughen rules around oil transportation and raise more money for spill prevention and response efforts.

Companion bills in the House and Senate aim to reduce the risk of oil spills with provisions that target oil carried by vessels, pipelines and trains.

In November, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, which will increase from five to 34 the monthly number of oil tankers and barges plying the shared waters of Washington state and Canada.

Under the bills, oil refineries proposing to handle crude oil for export update their spill response and prevention plans.

Jessica Spiegel, a spokeswoman with the Western States Petroleum Association, said state figures show that only 3 percent of spills are related to the petroleum industry, such as pipelines, trains or fuel barges.