[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2478 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2478

 To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to partner with industry 
to strengthen the safety culture and safety practices of short line and 
                      regional freight railroads.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 17, 2014

  Ms. Collins (for herself and Mrs. Murray) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to partner with industry 
to strengthen the safety culture and safety practices of short line and 
                      regional freight railroads.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Short Line Railroad Safety 
Enhancement Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The use of new oil recovery techniques, particularly in 
        regions without a sufficient number of developed pipeline 
        networks, has led to rapid growth in the transportation of 
        crude oil by rail.
            (2) Recent accidents in North America involving trains 
        carrying crude oil, such as the July 2013 tragedy in Lac-
        Megantic, Quebec, have brought the need for enhanced safety 
        into focus.
            (3) Short line and regional railroads have workforces and 
        resources that are much smaller than large Class I railroads, 
        but these railroads are expected to handle the same commodities 
        safely.
            (4) Cooperative safety reviews, assessments, and training 
        approaches can enhance safety by fostering an enhanced safety 
        culture. Cooperation between industry and the Federal Railroad 
        Administration's Research and Development Program would enhance 
        rail safety with respect to the transportation of crude oil by 
        rail and in all other areas of rail transportation.

SEC. 3. SHORT LINE AND REGIONAL RAILROAD SAFETY GRANTS.

    Section 20108 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(d) Short Line and Regional Railroad Safety Training 
Initiative.--
            ``(1) Grants authorized.--The Secretary may award grants to 
        private or nonprofit organizations involved in, or affiliated 
        with, transportation by Class II and Class III railroads.
            ``(2) Use of funds.--Grant funds awarded under this 
        subsection shall be used for research, development, evaluation, 
        and training efforts that are designed to enhance rail safety 
        practices and safety culture.
            ``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    ``(A) Fiscal year 2015.--There is authorized to be 
                appropriated to the Secretary $2,000,000 for fiscal 
                year 2015 for grants under this subsection.
                    ``(B) Fiscal years 2016 through 2019.--There are 
                authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 
                sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
                2016 through 2019 for grants under this subsection.
                    ``(C) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
                to this paragraph shall remain available until 
                expended.''.
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