Full Text of SR0142 103rd General Assembly
SR0142 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Volumes of crude oil shipments have risen rapidly | 3 | | in the 2010s relative to previous
decades; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) | 5 | | remains committed to transporting
flammable liquids by all | 6 | | modes of transportation, including the nation's 140,000-mile | 7 | | freight
railroad network that is often located near public | 8 | | areas such as neighborhoods and schools, endangering citizens | 9 | | by placing them unknowingly within blast and evacuations | 10 | | zones; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The rail transportation of large volumes of crude | 12 | | oil and other petroleum products
presents unique safety risks; | 13 | | and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Incidents such as the derailment in Lac-Megantic, | 15 | | Quebec, Canada, when a unit
train carrying crude oil from the | 16 | | Bakken region of North Dakota killed 47 unsuspecting people
| 17 | | and decimated most of the village, have resulted in | 18 | | significant and devastating loss of life and destruction of | 19 | | property and the environment; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, The safe and successful management of any | 21 | | hazardous materials incident is based on effective |
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| 1 | | pre-incident planning, preparedness, training, exercises, and | 2 | | implementation of an
incident management system; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety | 4 | | Administration (PHMSA), in
consultation with the Federal | 5 | | Railroad Administration (FRA), issued a final rule to improve | 6 | | oil
spill response readiness and mitigate effects of rail | 7 | | accidents and incidents involving petroleum
oil and | 8 | | high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs); and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The intent of comprehensive oil spill response | 10 | | plans (COSRPs) requirements is to
ensure that local emergency | 11 | | responders and emergency response planning officials have | 12 | | access
to sufficient information regarding the movement of | 13 | | HHFTs in their jurisdictions to adequately
plan and prepare | 14 | | for emergency events; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Government concern regarding the dissemination of | 16 | | "sensitive security information" should not surpass a parent's | 17 | | right to information necessary in allowing them to make | 18 | | decisions related to securing the safety of their child or the | 19 | | school faculty and staff's right to safe working conditions; | 20 | | and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, In order for school personnel to manage a | 22 | | hazardous materials incident safely and
successfully, they too |
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| 1 | | must take part in effective pre-incident planning, | 2 | | preparedness, training,
exercises, and implementation of an | 3 | | incident management system; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Even without derailing, spilling, or exploding, | 5 | | doctors have warned that proximity to oil trains poses a | 6 | | serious health risk with increasing rates in cancer, asthma, | 7 | | and cardiovascular
disease through exposure to particulate | 8 | | matter released as emissions from trains; therefore, be it
| 9 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 10 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge local | 11 | | emergency response planning officials to partner with school | 12 | | districts in their region in order to disseminate information | 13 | | pertaining to safety threats related to the storage and | 14 | | transport of hazardous substances, including petroleum oil and | 15 | | HHFTs, to the parents of attending students, faculty and | 16 | | staff, and schools at risk of being negatively impacted by | 17 | | storage facilities and/or the transport of such hazardous | 18 | | materials; and be it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That we urge local emergency response planning | 20 | | officials to include school districts in their region in the | 21 | | development and implementation of oil spill response plans | 22 | | specific to incidents involving the storage and transport of | 23 | | hazardous materials, including petroleum oil and HHFTs; and be |
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| 1 | | it further
| 2 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 3 | | delivered to all emergency response planning committees | 4 | | throughout the State.
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