WASHDC bans train HAZMAT shipments. Does this violate the interstate commerce clause?

[astro]

Per this story. Can they really do this? Doesn’t it violate some federal interstate commerce clause or something?

Washington may not be the only city to ban hazmat shipments

WASHINGTON Now that Washington D-C is on the verge of banning shipments of deadly chemicals and explosives through its neighborhoods, other cities may follow suit – to the dismay of the railroad industry.

Washington’s city council passed the emergency legislation earlier this week. It would block train and truck shipments of hazardous materials within two miles of the Capitol for 90 days.

The Transportation Department will review whether the ban is legal once Mayor Anthony Williams signs it into law. C-S-X says it may take the city to court.

Mayors and state homeland security officials are eyeing the budding dispute with interest. They’re mindful that a train derailment could have potentially catastrophic consequences if deadly gases are released.

The railroad industry isn’t happy about that possibility. One official says similar bans could make it impossible to ship the materials anywhere.

[Neurotik]

It doesn’t violat anything as far as I know. The commerce clause is generally taken to mean interstate tariffs, etc. I imagine it falls under the same category of different states having different restrictions on firearms, etc.

[RealityChuck]

Technically, DC is Federal, so they have an excuse.

However, other cities ban or restrict hazmat trucks from their streets and bridges, so there’s plenty of precedent. NYC, for instance, does not allow explosives on the Verrazano Bridge.

[danceswithcats]

HMs are routinely banned from tunnels, including those on the PA Turnpike, Harbor Tunnel, and Fort McHenry Tunnels in Baltimore.