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April 19, 2005 4:30 PM, EDT

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federal appeals court delayed implementation of a pending Washington, D.C., city law banning hazardous materials shipments, the court said in documents filed Tuesday.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it will consider responses of city officials and the Sierra Club to an appeal filed Monday by CSX Transportation Inc., which is seeking to block the law’s enactment.

The law, which bans rail hazmat shipments within 2.2 miles of the U.S. Capitol building, was scheduled to take effect Wednesday.

CSX said in a statement that it is "required by federal law to carry potentially dangerous chemicals, and the D.C. legislation conflicts with federal provisions. CSXT has brought the legal proceedings to clarify its legal duty."

The court said its ruling was “to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the merits of [CSX’s appeal] and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion.”

Responses by are due to the court by Friday, which could be followed by a hearing next Monday, a city official wrote in an e-mail Tuesday.

(Click here for previous coverage.)