Wisconsin legislators take aim at rail safety at state, federal level

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Sen. Baldwin, right, and FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg in Alma, Wis.
Office of Senator Tammy Baldwin

Two freight train derailments during the weekend of November 7 and 8 in Alma and Watertown, Wis., have elected officials calling for advanced rail safety efforts at the state and federal level.

 

State Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) introduced a bill, modeled after legislation enacted in neighboring Minnesota, that she says would improve Wisconsin’s railroads by implementing measures to prevent future derailments. The bill is co-authored in the state Senate by Sens. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) and Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon).

The bill would provide for additional state rail track inspectors; require railroad companies to submit prevention and response plans to the state; provide training for local emergency first responders along railroad routes; provide guidelines for coordination and response timelines in the event of a derailment and require the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads to submit a report to the legislature on emergency preparedness, assessment of training needs for first responders statewide, inventory of both public and private resources available in the event of a derailment and recommendations to the legislature to improve preparedness and safety.

The authors of the legislation recognize that while the railroad system is regulated at the federal level, the bill will enable officials at the state level to improve safety of Wisconsin’s system.

Another Wisconsin official, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is pursuing efforts at the federal level to include amendments she has been pushing that focus on oil train route safety in a final six-year transportation bill.

The U.S. House and Senate negotiators are currently working on a long-term federal transportation bill compromise. Sen. Baldwin wants to see several provisions, such as requiring the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to keep the most recent rail bridge inspection reports on file and available upon request and providing real-time information on hazmat train shipments to state and local first responders at least 12 hours prior to the shipment arriving in a jurisdiction, included in that compromise. The Senate’s version of the six-year transportation bill includes her provisions, but the House version does not.

Sen. Baldwin and FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg visited the site of the Alma derailment on Nov. 12; the senator plans to visit the Watertown site on Nov. 13.

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