Senate Concurrent Resolution 102 - Introduced

PAG LIN





  1  1          SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                        BY  McCOY
  1  3 A Concurrent Resolution urging the Federal Railroad
  1  4    Administration to conduct regulatory proceedings
  1  5    regarding remote control locomotive operations by
  1  6    railroad companies.
  1  7    WHEREAS, one of the primary goals of the Iowa
  1  8 General Assembly is to protect the safety of the
  1  9 citizens of the State of Iowa; and
  1 10    WHEREAS, the Iowa General Assembly is dedicated to
  1 11 the proposition that all Iowans have a right to a safe
  1 12 environment, free from the danger of uncontrolled
  1 13 releases of hazardous materials; and
  1 14    WHEREAS, railroad companies that operate in Iowa
  1 15 transport large amounts of hazardous chemicals, and
  1 16 those chemicals are subject to uncontrolled releases
  1 17 or spillage when railroad cars carrying the chemicals
  1 18 are ruptured during derailments or collisions; and
  1 19    WHEREAS, railroad companies operating in Iowa have
  1 20 implemented remote control locomotive operations in
  1 21 which unmanned locomotives are used to switch railcars
  1 22 containing hazardous materials, or to switch cars on
  1 23 tracks adjacent to cars carrying hazardous materials,
  1 24 occupied locomotives, and passenger trains; and
  1 25    WHEREAS, in the United States, railroad companies
  1 26 have been allowed to implement these remote control
  1 27 operations without Federal Railroad Administration
  1 28 regulations, in spite of a request in November 2000 by
  1 29 the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
  1 30 to the Federal Railroad Administration to initiate a
  2  1 rulemaking procedure; and
  2  2    WHEREAS, on November 29, 2000, the Federal Railroad
  2  3 Administration established FRA Docket No. 2000=8422 to
  2  4 engage in rulemaking regarding remote control
  2  5 locomotive operations, and thus far, the Federal
  2  6 Railroad Administration has declined to provide such
  2  7 rulemaking; NOW THEREFORE,
  2  8    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
  2  9 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the Iowa General
  2 10 Assembly calls upon the Federal Railroad
  2 11 Administration to reopen FRA Docket No.  2000=8422 so
  2 12 that railroad employees, citizens, and communities
  2 13 that may be affected can register their concerns about
  2 14 the safety of railroad operations; and
  2 15    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
  2 16 Resolution be sent to the President of the United
  2 17 States, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad
  2 18 Administration, and the members of Iowa's
  2 19 congressional delegation.
  2 20 LSB 5836SS 81
  2 21 dea:rj/cf/24