[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 101 (Thursday, June 26, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S4158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. HEITKAMP (for herself and Mr. Schumer):
  S. 2547. A bill to establish the Railroad Emergency Services 
Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) 
Subcommittee under the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National 
Advisory Council to provide recommendations on emergency responder 
training and resources relating to hazardous materials incidents 
involving railroads, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, on December 30, 2013, outside of 
Casselton, ND, a train carrying crude oil derailed setting off a series 
of explosions and fire. The first on the scene that day were our local 
first responders from the Casselton Fire Department, a small volunteer 
department.
  Whether floods, tornados, accidents, or man-made incidents, our local 
first responders are on the front line and we need to make sure they 
are trained and prepared to handle anything that may come their way and 
that they have the equipment necessary to do their jobs effectively and 
efficiently. The incident in Casselton and others across the country 
have shined a bright light on the need to make sure our local first 
responders are prepared specifically for emerging threats and hazards.
  Only a few short years ago, trains carried very little crude. And 
when crude was carried by rail, it was in relatively small amounts 
mixed in with a variety of other commodities and container shipments. 
Since that time, our country has experienced impressive economic growth 
in the oil industry, but with that important growth we have seen an 
exponential increase in shipments of crude by rail. According to the 
Association of American Railroads, the number of carloads carrying 
crude oil on major freight railroads in the U.S. grew by more than 
6,000 percent between 2008 and 2013. Now, we are seeing entire trains 
of linked tanker cars carrying more than half a million barrels of 
crude to market.
  As we witnessed in Casselton, had the first responders not had the 
training they did, this disaster could have been much worse. It's 
important that our local first responders have access to training to 
prepare them for these emerging threats and hazards. Traffic continues 
to increase on our rail system, and we must make sure local first 
responders in our communities are equipped to respond quickly and 
appropriately.
  To improve first responder training, I am introducing the RESPONSE 
Act to bring together relevant agencies, emergency responders, 
technical experts and the private sector under FEMA's National Advisory 
Council to review the training, resources, best practices and unmet 
needs on emergency response to railroad hazmat incidents, including 
crude oil transport. This group would be tasked with reviewing current 
training, funding, existing emergency response plans and providing 
recommendations on steps to enhance emergency responder training and 
improve the allocation of resources to meet the needs.
  Our local first responders are on the front lines and will be the 
first to respond in an emergency. We need to make sure they are 
equipped with the knowledge and training to protect our communities. I 
hope my colleagues will join me in this effort.
                                 ______