"Judge Sides With California in Rail Industry Suit Over Oil Spill Law"

"A federal judge dismissed a challenge by two major railroads of a California law requiring the companies to have oil spill prevention and response plans and to certify their ability to pay for the cleanup should one occur.

Last October, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, joined by an industry trade group, sued the state, claiming that four federal laws governing rail transportation preempted California’s S.B. 861. State lawmakers passed that law a year ago to address concerns about a rising volume of crude oil moving by train into California along major waterways.

The suit named Tom Cullen, California’s administrator for Oil Spill Prevention and Response, and state Attorney General Kamala Harris as defendants. They filed a motion to dismiss the case, as the law still lacked enforcement mechanisms and the state had yet to threaten any penalties."

Curtis Tate reports for the McClatchy Washington Bureau June 19, 2015.