H.R. 7068, H.R. 14417, and H.R. 14478 BILLS PROVIDING FOR FEDERAL RAILROAD SAFETY AND ALSO STANFORD A BILL TO PROVIDE FOR FEDERAL RAILROAD SAFETY, HAZARDOUS Printed for the use of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce 44-340 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1970 COMMITTEE ON INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE HARLEY O. STAGGERS, West Virginia, Chairman SAMUEL N. FRIEDEL, Maryland JOHN JARMAN, Oklahoma JOHN E. MOSS, California JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan PAUL G. ROGERS, Florida LIONEL VAN DEERLIN, California J. J. PICKLE, Texas FRED B. ROONEY, Pennsylvania DAVID E, SATTERFIELD III, Virginia W. S. (BILL) STUCKEY, JR., Georgia WILLIAM L. SPRINGER, Illinois G. ROBERT WATKINS, Pennsylvania Bernstein, Sheldon E., counsel, United Transportation Union. Brown, Joseph J., commissioner, Nebraska State Railway Com- Chesser, Al H., national legislative director, United Transporation Collier, Hon. Harold R., a Representative in Congress from the State Doub, William O., member, executive committee, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and chairman, Maryland Public Service Commission__ Forst, Merle, second vice president, National Conference of State Transportation Specialists (NCSTS) and director, Bureau of Transportation, Pennsylvania Commission___. Goodfellow, Thomas M., president, Association of American Railroads_ 35 361ST 7 1 1 1 11 22, 24 144 55, 61 55 144 25 361ST XL1 1.706 08/94 53-005 Organizations represented at hearings-Continued Southern Railway System: Moore, William H., executive vice president-operations. Transportation Department: Kessler, Robert L., Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad Administration. Tidd, J. Thomas, Assistant General Counsel. Volpe, Hon. John A., Secretary. Whitman, Reginald N., Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration. United Transportation Union: Bernstein, Sheldon E., counsel. Chesser, Ál H., national legislative director. RAILROAD SAFETY AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS CONTROL TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1970 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND AERONAUTICS, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to notice, in room 2124 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Samuel N. Friedel (chairman) presiding. Mr. FRIEDEL. The subcommittee will be in order. Today we are commencing hearings on railroad safety. We have before us H.R. 7065 and H.R. 14417 which were introduced by Chairman Staggers. We have also H.R. 14478 which I introduced, S. 1933, and a number of other identical and similar bills. The bills before us and the agency comments on them will be included in the record right after my opening remarks. There have been entirely too many railroad accidents in recent years. We know from other hearings on such matters as passenger service and freight rates that many of the railroads are sustaining losses. There is an increasing concern that the financial status of the railroads may be seriously affecting railroad safety. As was brought out in the hearings last year on the Senate side, deadly gases, explosives and other potentially dangerous items are routinely transported by rail. I feel that the country and its citizens are entitled to all the protection and safety which we can prudently achieve by curtailing train accidents. To assure this, we are going to review existing laws and all legislative proposals bearing on the overall subject of rail safety. (The text of the bills referred to and departmental reports thereon follow :) [H.R. 7068, H.R. 8168, H.R. 8941, H.R. 11480, H.R. 11516, H.R. 11573, H.R. 13572, and H.R. 15117, 91st Congress, First Session, introduced by Mr. Staggers on February 18, 196; Mr. Kee on March 4, 1969; Mr. Fulton of Tennessee on March 13, 1969; Mr. Evans of Colorado on May 20, 1969; Mr. Biaggi on May 21, 1969; Mr. Dulski on May 21, 1969; Mr. Ottinger on September 3, 1969; and Mr. King on December 8, 1969, respectively, are similar as follows:1 A BILL Providing for Federal railroad safety Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1969". FEDERAL SAFETY REGULATIONS SEC. 2. It shall be unlawful for any common carrier, as defined in section 22 of title 45 of the United States Code (hereafter in this Act referred to as "com |