OLYMPIA — A measure aimed at addressing potential risks as more crude oil is shipped by rail into the state has cleared the House.
House Bill 2347 passed early Tuesday on a 57-37 vote and now heads to the Senate.
Environmental groups supported the bill, saying it would provide more transparency about the movement of oil through communities.
The measure authorizes the state Department of Ecology to come up with new rules requiring tug escorts for oil tankers entering Grays Harbor and the Columbia River. The bill was amended to limit when the agency would have the authority to make those rules.
The bill also would require refineries and other facilities that receive oil shipments by vessels or rail cars to submit transit data to Ecology.
