[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 17, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3721-S3722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mrs. Murray):
  S. 2478. 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; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today Senator Murray and I are 
introducing legislation to enhance the safety practices and safety 
culture of short line railroads. The horrific derailment that occurred 
in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, last year, just 30 miles from the Maine 
border, brought to light the importance of ensuring the safe 
transportation of energy products. Specifically, our bill would 
authorize the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to a new Short 
Line Safety Institute for research, development, evaluation, and 
training efforts.
  In the early morning hours of July 6, 2013, a freight train carrying 
hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil was sent hurtling toward 
the small, picturesque Canadian village of Lac-Megantic. The train 
derailed in the center of town, leveling several blocks, and killing 47 
residents. Since the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board 
and the Department of Transportation have been working with American 
Short Line and Regional Railroad Association to develop new safety 
guidelines to prevent future disasters.
  While this tragedy hit very close to home for us Mainers, there have 
been several other derailments of crude oil and other hazardous 
material recently across the country. Despite these incidents, the 
railroad industry maintains it has a strong safety record. According to 
the Association of American Railroads, 99.997 percent of rail hazmat 
shipments reached their destination without a release of product. This 
underscores the problem we face today we must ensure that we are taking 
the necessary steps to prevent another Lac-Megantic, while not 
overburdening an industry that has a proven track record of safety.
  There are 550 short line railroad companies that operate over 50,000 
miles of track, or nearly one third of the national railroad network. 
The tracks can be as short as 2 miles or up to more than 1,000 miles 
long. Generally, short line railroads must follow the same rules and 
regulations as the Nation's major railroads. But railroad safety is 
about more than just following the rules. Our bill would authorize the 
Short Line Safety Institute, under the Federal Railroad 
Administration's research and development programs, to provide a 
continuous and active focus on short line safety to assist individual 
short lines to improve their safety performance. It would allow for the 
hiring

[[Page S3722]]

of professional assessment staff who would work with individual short 
line managers and their employees to assess and improve safety 
practices. Safety training materials and techniques would be developed, 
and efforts would be made to further increase management and employee 
focus on creating a safety culture.
  Short line railroads are mostly small businesses with far fewer 
employees than the Class I railroads. In addition, most of the 
employees have multiple responsibilities, stretching their time and 
resources thin. Furthermore, a large percentage of short line railroad 
resources go into track rehabilitation, which limits the resources 
available for other areas. This bill would allow short line railroad 
management to continually work with their employees using the most up 
to date methods to ensure safe operations. It would also improve 
awareness of industry best practices, both in general and with regard 
to specific commodities such as crude oil.
  For those in rural America, short line railroads are a critical link 
to the national railroad network. Most are preserving light density 
lines that otherwise would have been abandoned, leaving thousands of 
small shippers in the lurch. They do their best to provide an essential 
service as safely as possible; however, with assistance, they believe 
they can do better, and establishing a Short Line Safety Institute is a 
cost effective way to do so. The concept merits our support, and I am 
pleased to introduce this legislation with Senator Murray to help make 
this concept a reality.
                                 ______