Responding to recent news events, La Coalition Rail Safety Campaign members decided to take a running head start on the spring Letter to the Editor (LTE) campaign they were planning.
In a January 22 LTE in the Daily Herald, La Coalition criticized a December 2021 federal ruling that preempted Illinois legislation and lowered minimum crew size to a single engineer. The LTE warned that less crew plus more trains equals increased danger.
Cargo hauled by rail includes a list of nearly 400 hazardous materials, such as highly toxic and explosive Bakken crude oil, anhydrous ammonia, chlorine gas, ethylene oxide (EtO), and spent nuclear fuel. With current rule-making discussions centered around transporting liquified natural gas (LNG), La Coalition says this level of responsibility should never be placed on the shoulders of a single overworked, underpaid, excessively fatigued engineer.
In a January 26 LTE in the Daily Herald, La Coalition supported SB 3496 Hazardous Substances-Schools, introduced by Illinois Senators Laura Murphy and Julie Morrison. SB 3496 would amend the Illinois Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act by requiring emergency response planning officials to partner with school districts to disseminate information on safety threats related to high-hazard flammable trains and the storage and transport of hazardous substances to the parents of attending students, faculty and staff at schools in areas of potential risk. If passed, SB 3496 would provide for specific protocol and rule-making authority.
Although SB 3496 was not selected as one of Sierra Club Illinois' top legislative priorities, the 2022 Spring Lobby Team plans to include it in their conversations with elected officials.
How you can help:
- Contact your U.S. Representatives and Senators and demand a minimum two-person crew. Safer conditions for our rail workers means safer conditions for us.
- Call your state legislators today and ask them to support SB 3496. This is crucial legislation that can save children's lives.