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Piscataway, NJ --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today joined local officials in Piscataway to call for better protection of railways that transport hazardous materials. The New Jersey congressman highlighted the need for joint action between companies that transport the materials and local emergency coordinators who would respond in the event of either an accident or a terrorist attack. The press conference came hours after an apparent terrorist attack on four commuter trains in London.
The New Jersey congressman was joined at today's press conference by Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler, Middlesex Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Rory Zach and local first responders.
"It's often as easy as reading the label on the outside of one of these tankers to find out what's inside -- making them inviting targets for terrorists," Pallone said. "However, it's actually local emergency officials and first responders who are most left in the dark about what hazardous substances are going through our communities."
Pallone, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, points to several incidents over the last year involving hazardous materials carried by rail that have raised serious concerns about public safety in areas where the trains pass through population centers.
This past January in Graniteville, South Carolina, a Norfolk Southern train crashed into a parked two-car train, puncturing a tanker carrying chlorine gas. The resulting spill killed nine area residents and injured more than 200 people. In June 2004, a collision of two freight trains near San Antonio, Texas released chlorine gas, killing a conductor and two nearby residents.
The New Jersey congressman is concerned about the impact a similar accident would have if it occurred in a densely populated section of New Jersey. Pallone feared the consequences could be even more devastating if a leak came from a deliberate, coordinated terrorist attack.
"As Mayor Wahler and the other emergency management officials here know well, there is no system for alerting local officials when shipments of dangerous chemicals like chlorine come through these rail lines," Pallone continued. "That is why it is so critical that we make sure local emergency officials and first responders have some idea when large shipments of extremely hazardous materials go through their towns."
Pallone is an original cosponsor of the Extremely Hazardous Materials Transportation Security Act of 2005, which:
Requires increased coordination between the industry, the law enforcement community and first responders so that emergency personnel are notified before toxic chemicals are transported through their jurisdictions and have response plans in place.
Requires the Department of Homeland Security to re-route the most dangerous materials (the ones like chlorine that are toxic by inhalation, and highly flammable or explosive materials) around densely populated or other sensitive areas when a safer route is available.
Increases the physical security measures surrounding shipments of extremely hazardous materials, such as extra security guards and the use of more surveillance technologies
Requires the use of technologies that could make railcars full of toxic gases such as chlorine more resistant to punctures
Requires training for employees who work with shipments of these materials.
Provides whistleblower protections for personnel who report security or safety problems.
Imposes civil and administrative penalties for those who fail to comply with the regulations.
In May, Pallone sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta requesting that both federal agencies work together to develop a system for notifying local officials, law enforcement, and emergency planners of any rail shipments containing hazardous materials through their jurisdictions. |
