SJ0044 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0044 LRB103 35985 MST 66072 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Volumes of crude oil shipments have risen rapidly in the 2010s relative to previous decades; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) remains committed to transporting flammable liquids by all modes of transportation, including the nation's 140,000-mile freight railroad network that is often located near public areas such as neighborhoods and schools, endangering citizens by placing them unknowingly within blast and evacuations zones; and

WHEREAS, The rail transportation of large volumes of crude oil and other petroleum products presents unique safety risks; and

WHEREAS, Incidents such as the derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada, when a unit train carrying crude oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota killed 47 unsuspecting people and decimated most of the village, have resulted in significant and devastating loss of life and destruction of property and the environment; and

WHEREAS, The safe and successful management of any hazardous materials incident is based on effective pre-incident planning, preparedness, training, exercises, and implementation of an incident management system; and

WHEREAS, The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), issued a final rule to improve oil spill response readiness and mitigate effects of rail accidents and incidents involving petroleum oil and high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs); and

WHEREAS, The intent of comprehensive oil spill response plans (COSRPs) requirements is to ensure that local emergency responders and emergency response planning officials have access to sufficient information regarding the movement of HHFTs in their jurisdictions to adequately plan and prepare for emergency events; and

WHEREAS, Government concern regarding the dissemination of "sensitive security information" should not surpass a parent's right to information necessary in allowing them to make decisions related to securing the safety of their child or the school faculty and staff's right to safe working conditions; and

WHEREAS, In order for school personnel to manage a hazardous materials incident safely and successfully, they too must take part in effective pre-incident planning, preparedness, training, exercises, and implementation of an incident management system; and

WHEREAS, Even without derailing, spilling, or exploding, doctors have warned that proximity to oil trains poses a serious health risk with increasing rates in cancer, asthma, and cardiovascular disease through exposure to particulate matter released as emissions from trains; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge local emergency response planning officials to partner with school districts in their region in order to disseminate information pertaining to safety threats related to the storage and transport of hazardous substances, including petroleum oil and HHFTs, to the parents of attending students, faculty and staff, and schools at risk of being negatively impacted by storage facilities and/or the transport of such hazardous materials; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge local emergency response planning officials to include school districts in their region in the development and implementation of oil spill response plans specific to incidents involving the storage and transport of hazardous materials, including petroleum oil and HHFTs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Congress and the Federal Railroad Administration to find a way to better notify and protect communities as hazardous products move through a community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to all emergency response planning committees throughout the State, the President of the United States, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, and Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose.