Full Text of HR0512 99th General Assembly
HR0512 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 14 | | WHEREAS, As common carriers, railroads are required by law | 15 | | to transport hazardous materials, including crude oil; and
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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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