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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Volumes of crude oil shipments have risen rapidly
3in the 2010s relative to previous decades; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
5remains committed to transporting flammable liquids by all
6modes of transportation, including the nation's 140,000-mile
7freight railroad network that is often located near public
8areas such as neighborhoods and schools, endangering citizens
9by placing them unknowingly within blast and evacuations
10zones; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The rail transportation of large volumes of crude
12oil and other petroleum products presents unique safety risks;
13and
 
14    WHEREAS, Incidents such as the derailment in Lac-Megantic,
15Quebec, Canada, when a unit train carrying crude oil from the
16Bakken region of North Dakota killed 47 unsuspecting people
17and decimated most of the village, have resulted in
18significant and devastating loss of life and destruction of
19property and the environment; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The safe and successful management of any
21hazardous materials incident is based on effective

 

 

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1pre-incident planning, preparedness, training, exercises, and
2implementation of an incident management system; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
4Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal
5Railroad Administration (FRA), issued a final rule to improve
6oil spill response readiness and mitigate effects of rail
7accidents and incidents involving petroleum oil and
8high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs); and
 
9    WHEREAS, The intent of comprehensive oil spill response
10plans (COSRPs) requirements is to ensure that local emergency
11responders and emergency response planning officials have
12access to sufficient information regarding the movement of
13HHFTs in their jurisdictions to adequately plan and prepare
14for emergency events; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Government concern regarding the dissemination of
16"sensitive security information" should not surpass a parent's
17right to information necessary in allowing them to make
18decisions related to securing the safety of their child or the
19school faculty and staff's right to safe working conditions;
20and
 
21    WHEREAS, In order for school personnel to manage a
22hazardous materials incident safely and successfully, they too

 

 

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1must take part in effective pre-incident planning,
2preparedness, training, exercises, and implementation of an
3incident management system; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Even without derailing, spilling, or exploding,
5doctors have warned that proximity to oil trains poses a
6serious health risk with increasing rates in cancer, asthma,
7and cardiovascular disease through exposure to particulate
8matter released as emissions from trains; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
11REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge local
12emergency response planning officials to partner with school
13districts in their region in order to disseminate information
14pertaining to safety threats related to the storage and
15transport of hazardous substances, including petroleum oil and
16HHFTs, to the parents of attending students, faculty and
17staff, and schools at risk of being negatively impacted by
18storage facilities and/or the transport of such hazardous
19materials; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we urge local emergency response planning
21officials to include school districts in their region in the
22development and implementation of oil spill response plans
23specific to incidents involving the storage and transport of

 

 

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1hazardous materials, including petroleum oil and HHFTs; and be
2it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That we urge Congress and the Federal Railroad
4Administration to find a way to better notify and protect
5communities as hazardous products move through a community;
6and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
8delivered to all emergency response planning committees
9throughout the State, the President of the United States, the
10U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader,
11the U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of
12Representatives Minority Leader, all members of the Illinois
13Congressional Delegation, and Federal Railroad Administration
14Administrator Amit Bose.