House follows Senate in unanimously passing rail RESPONSE Act

The Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation Act, which provides training and resources for emergency responders to handle potentially hazardous incidents, will now be sent to the president for final approval.    The United States House of Representatives yesterday unanimously approved the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Act of 2016 (S. 546).
   The RESPONSE Act, which will provide additional training for first responders, specifically for handling freight train derailments that include hazardous materials such as crude oil, was passed unanimously by the Senate in May, meaning the bill will now be sent to the president for final approval.
   The legislation establishes a public-private council of emergency responders, federal agencies and industry stakeholders tasked with reviewing current training methods and prescribing best practices for first responders to Congress. The council will be co-chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
   Initially sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., the RESPONSE Act’s companion bill in the House was introduced by Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.
   “When disaster strikes, North Dakotans depend on their communities to pull together to subdue the flames – and as a statewide family, we know our first responders need our protection just as much as we need theirs,” Heitkamp said in a statement. “That’s why in the wake of the crude oil train derailment in Casselton in 2013, I introduced my RESPONSE Act to pull together public and private expertise to help make sure Congress is supporting those who answer the call in such emergencies.
   “Today, we’re bringing this bill one step closer to becoming law – and first responders one step closer to the resources they need to keep our communities strong and safe so they can return home to their families each night.”
   Kind said, “With the passage of the RESPONSE Act, we are making our Wisconsin communities safer by providing more training for our first responders and holding big railroad companies accountable for their actions. Our residents have dealt with the negative impacts of rail traffic long enough and today we took action to solve the problem and keep our neighborhoods safe.”
   “Rail safety is critical to the transport of goods and services through our country,” said U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., chairman of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee.“I believe the RESPONSE Act will succeed in improving the safety of our nation’s rail network.”