By Ron Thaniel
May 23, 2005

Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Norman Y. Mineta responded to The United States Conference of Mayors letter of January 18 requesting that the DOT conduct an immediate assessment of freight railroad notification procedures for the transport of hazardous materials through local jurisdictions. This letter was co'signed by 50 mayors. Mineta said in a response letter on April 25, "Given that thousands of shipments crisscross U.S. cities daily and that the specific route those shipments will follow is not always known well in advance, the issue of pre-notification is intricate and difficult."

As outlined in the Conference's letter, the Conference has repeatedly called for advanced notification of these rail shipments so city officials are aware of what is going through their neighborhoods and business districts.

"While on the surface, prior notification to each community before each shipment passes through seems like a worthwhile concept, studies have shown that transmitting this information accurately and maintaining awareness of it at a local level is too costly and offers only a marginal benefit," said Mineta.

Furthermore, Mineta said, "Issuing advance warning of shipments that are repetitive, virtually impossible to predict as to precise timing, and characteristically without incident would result in an overwhelming flow of information to our first responders."

Conference of Mayors Environment Standing Committee Chair Augusta Mayor Bob Young, who has been championing improved advance notification, said "I am disappointed that the Secretary fails to see the value of real'time information versus historical data. In the Graniteville tragedy, we learned the value of real'time information, when first responders unsuspectingly drove into the poisonous chlorine cloud."

The mayors stated in the letter to Mineta, that the chemical train wreck in Graniteville (SC) in January 2005, had the effect of the detonation of a weapon of mass destruction.

Young further noted, "The purported absence of identified technology to accomplish advance notification should sound an alarm to both the government and the private sector that immediate action is needed to fill this critical void."

Apparently understanding the urgency of this issue to the Conference of Mayors, Mineta said that he "welcome the opportunity to work with the Conference on issues of public safety."

"Emergency response personnel function best when trained and equipped with the necessary tools and information to mitigate the emergency. To that end, the Department has been a tireless supporter and facilitator of data sharing and training for emergency responders," said Mineta.

"The Secretary's willingness to open dialogue on this important issue with the nation's mayors is most encouraging. We look forward to engaging the government, as well as the railroad companies, in identifying ways to provide our first responders with life'saving information," said Young.

A new plan to improve safety along the nation's railroads was unveiled May 16 by Mineta during a visit to Columbia (SC).

According to Mineta, the plan will help prevent train accidents caused by human error, improve the safety of hazmat shipments, minimize the dangers of crew fatigue, deploy state-of-the-art technologies to detect track defects, and focus inspectors on safety trouble spots.

Furthermore, the safe transport of hazardous materials by rail is also a major focus. In response to FRA's (Federal Railroad Administration) call to action, the railroad industry will now provide local emergency responders a ranked listing of the top 25 hazardous materials transported through their community. And by July, the FRA will launch a new pilot program providing emergency responders with real-time information via secure website about the hazardous materials involved in train accidents.

However, the plan does not notify first responders when HAZMAT is traveling through local jurisdictions. "The Conference of Mayors wants cities to have advance notice of trains carrying hazardous cargo so response teams can better prepare for potential chemical leaks from wrecked trains," said Young.

Young said "It took 30 minutes for local emergency workers to confirm what was leaking from a chlorine tank car in Graniteville."

"That's unacceptable," said Young, whose city is ten miles from Graniteville.

To view the Administration's National Rail Safety Action Plan and the most recent Conference letter sent to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, visit the Conference's homepage at usmayors.org.