oil-train-railThe head of the federal agency tasked with improving the safety of crude oil transportation by rail is stepping down.

Cynthia Quarterman, who has led the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration since 2009, will leave an agency that recently proposed sturdier construction standards for tank cars carrying flammable liquids such as crude oil and ethanol, and improved testing and classification of those products.

Read the complete story at the News & Observer.