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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Illinois is the crossroads of the American freight | ||||||
3 | rail system, with 40 freight railroads operating on 7,000 miles | ||||||
4 | of track and employing more than 13,000 people; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Nothing is more important to the nation's freight | ||||||
6 | railroads than safety; the railroad industry's commitment to | ||||||
7 | safety is reflected in safety statistics from the Federal | ||||||
8 | Railroad Administration; from 1980 to 2013, the train accident | ||||||
9 | rate fell by 79%, while the employee injury rate fell by 84% | ||||||
10 | and the grade crossing collision rate fell by 81%; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Safety efforts of the railroad industry extend far | ||||||
12 | beyond the industry's 180,000 employees and 140,000 mile rail | ||||||
13 | network, reaching into the communities they serve; and
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14 | WHEREAS, As common carriers, railroads are required by law | ||||||
15 | to transport hazardous materials, including crude oil; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Railroads work closely with state and local | ||||||
17 | leaders and emergency responders across their network to ensure | ||||||
18 | that communities understand how railroads operate and are | ||||||
19 | prepared in the event of an accident; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Each year, thousands of emergency responders and |
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1 | railroad and shipper employees receive specialized training | ||||||
2 | through individual railroad efforts and industry programs; | ||||||
3 | railroads actively participate in state emergency planning | ||||||
4 | committees and state agency conferences on emergency response; | ||||||
5 | railroads also invest in equipment - including foam trailers - | ||||||
6 | that are used to train emergency response personnel and respond | ||||||
7 | to accidents involving hazardous materials; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Railroads provide interstate commerce services | ||||||
9 | that are vital to the economic well-being of the State of | ||||||
10 | Illinois and the nation; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Railroads recognize there are inherent risks to | ||||||
12 | conducting their business and remain vigilant in their efforts | ||||||
13 | to meet or exceed federal standards; and | ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Railroads continue to devote enormous resources - | ||||||
15 | approximately 18% of their gross revenues - into their | ||||||
16 | infrastructure in an effort to maintain their physical property | ||||||
17 | in a safe condition; in 2015, the railroads will devote $29 | ||||||
18 | billion to infrastructure improvements; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Railroads continuously evaluate new and emerging | ||||||
20 | technologies in an unwavering effort to continue to improve | ||||||
21 | upon their safety record; therefore, be it
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1 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
2 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
3 | urge the railroad industry to continue its efforts to educate | ||||||
4 | and inform public officials on its handling of hazardous | ||||||
5 | materials, both in normal operating circumstances and in times | ||||||
6 | of unanticipated incidents, and to maintain its great | ||||||
7 | commitment to conducting its operations in as safe and | ||||||
8 | effective of a manner as possible in its ongoing efforts to | ||||||
9 | meet the needs of its customers as consistently and efficiently | ||||||
10 | as practicable.
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