The Under Pressure Act requires the Federal Railroad Administration to study and report to Congress on failures of pressure relief devices on rail tank cars, particularly during derailment events. Within 18 months of the bill becoming law, the FRA must provide detailed information about how often these devices fail, what causes the failures, and specific data from each incident including the number of tank cars involved, whether fires occurred, fire temperature and duration, and technical assessments of the failed devices themselves. The report must also include recommendations for preventing future failures and review the status of any related safety recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board. In preparing this report, the FRA must consult with pipeline safety officials, railroad employers and employees, and tank car manufacturers and owners. This legislation aims to improve safety for hazardous materials transported by rail by identifying vulnerabilities in the devices designed to prevent dangerous pressure buildup during accidents.
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