Bill Text: AZ HCM2007 | 2016 | Fifty-second Legislature 2nd Regular | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Railroad crews; urging corporation commission

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-09 - Referred to House COM Committee [HCM2007 Detail]

Download: Arizona-2016-HCM2007-Introduced.html

---

 

 

 

REFERENCE TITLE: railroad crews; urging corporation commission

 

 

 

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-second Legislature

Second Regular Session

2016

 

 

HCM 2007

 

Introduced by

Representatives Andrade, Cardenas: Ackerley, Alston, Benally, Borrelli, Bowers, Campbell, Cobb, Fernandez, Finchem, Friese, Gabaldón, Kopec, Lawrence, Livingston, Mendez, Otondo, Rios, Thorpe, Weninger

 

 

A CONCURRENT MEMORIAL

 

urging the Arizona Corporation Commission to amend Arizona Administrative Code section R14-5-111 regarding railroad crew requirements.

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

To the Arizona Corporation Commission:

Your memorialist respectfully represents:

Whereas, the United States has 277,722 highway-rail crossings and more than 145,000 miles of track; and

Whereas, Arizona currently has over 490 public crossings and about 3,000 railroad miles; and

Whereas, approximately 75 trains operate in Arizona in a twenty‑four‑hour period; and

Whereas, Arizona's railroad network is composed of two Class I railroads, the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, a number of short line, terminal, industrial, switching, passenger and tourist railroads, and one single-purpose, coal-hauling railroad, the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad, which, unlike every other Arizona railroad, is isolated and not connected to the nationwide railroad system; and

Whereas, Arizona's railroads originate five million tons of freight railroad traffic from locations within Arizona, including glass and stone products, waste and scrap, primary metal products, chemicals and metallic ores; and

Whereas, Arizona's freight railroads bring to Arizona and terminate within the state almost 31 million tons of freight traffic, including coal, lumber and wood products, glass and stone products, farm products and food products; and

Whereas, several major train derailments have occurred recently, most notably the oil train derailment and explosion near Charleston, West Virginia in February 2015; and

Whereas, on July 6, 2013, a train that was operated by a single crew member and that was carrying crude oil derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, resulting in 47 fatalities and the destruction of the town's center and sparking concerns over freight train crew sizes; and

Whereas, multi-person crews are essential to ensuring the safest rail operations possible.

Wherefore, your memorialist, the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:

1.  That the Arizona Corporation Commission amend Arizona Administrative Code section R14-5-111 to read as follows:

R14-5-111.  Crew Requirements

A.  Railroads operating within Arizona shall maintain a minimum of two certified operating employees, a certified engineer and a certified conductor, in the control compartment of the lead locomotive unit of a train while the train is in motion.

B.  For freight trains the crew must be composed of a certified engineer and certified conductor.

C.  Compliance with subsection (A) of this Section shall not be required during switching operations, while moving cars for inspection purposes, or while performing setouts in conjunction with road service.

D.  Railroads operating within Arizona shall maintain a minimum of two operating employees during remote control operations.

2.  That the Secretary of State transmit a copy of this Memorial to each Commissioner of the Arizona Corporation Commission.