House Concurrent Resolution 122

PAG LIN

  1  1           HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                 BY  T. TAYLOR and HUSER
  1  3           (COMPANION TO LSB 6933SS BY McCOY)
  1  4 A Concurrent Resolution urging the Federal Railroad
  1  5    Administration to conduct regulatory proceedings
  1  6    regarding remote control locomotive operations by
  1  7    railroad companies.
  1  8    WHEREAS, one of the primary goals of the Iowa
  1  9 General Assembly is to protect the safety of the
  1 10 citizens of the State of Iowa; and
  1 11    WHEREAS, the Iowa General Assembly is dedicated to
  1 12 the proposition that all Iowans have a right to a safe
  1 13 environment, free from the danger of uncontrolled
  1 14 releases of hazardous materials; and
  1 15    WHEREAS, railroad companies that operate in Iowa
  1 16 transport large amounts of hazardous chemicals, and
  1 17 those chemicals are subject to uncontrolled releases
  1 18 or spillage when railroad cars carrying the chemicals
  1 19 are ruptured during derailments or collisions; and
  1 20    WHEREAS, railroad companies operating in Iowa have
  1 21 implemented remote control locomotive operations in
  1 22 which unmanned locomotives are used to switch railcars
  1 23 containing hazardous materials, or to switch cars on
  1 24 tracks adjacent to cars carrying hazardous materials,
  1 25 occupied locomotives, and passenger trains; and
  1 26    WHEREAS, in the United States, railroad companies
  1 27 have been allowed to implement these remote control
  1 28 operations without Federal Railroad Administration
  1 29 regulations, in spite of a request in November 2000 by
  1 30 the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
  2  1 to the Federal Railroad Administration to initiate a
  2  2 rulemaking procedure; and
  2  3    WHEREAS, on November 29, 2000, the Federal Railroad
  2  4 Administration established FRA Docket No. 2000=8422 to
  2  5 engage in rulemaking regarding remote control
  2  6 locomotive operations, and thus far, the Federal
  2  7 Railroad Administration has declined to provide such
  2  8 rulemaking; NOW THEREFORE,
  2  9    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE
  2 10 SENATE CONCURRING, That the Iowa General Assembly
  2 11 calls upon the Federal Railroad Administration to
  2 12 reopen FRA Docket No. 2000=8422 so that railroad
  2 13 employees, citizens, and communities that may be
  2 14 affected can register their concerns about the safety
  2 15 of railroad operations; and
  2 16    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
  2 17 Resolution be sent to the President of the United
  2 18 States, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad
  2 19 Administration, and the members of Iowa's
  2 20 congressional delegation.
  2 21 LSB 6933HH 80
  2 22 dea/cf/24