Our town has a railroad running through it. A draft Rail Plan from the Agency of Transportation sets out planned improvements to the rail lines for the next 25 years, but leaves Vermont communities deeply vulnerable to oil train derailments and the catastrophic damage they cause. Most homeowner's insurance policies are exempted by hazardous materials damages! Recent oil train derailments around the country have resulted in deaths, injuries, and damaged property and natural resources.
Meetings between local and county emergency responders in the past weeks has revealed that our amazing fire departments and other emergency responders would not be able to handle explosions or fires resulting from derailments -- at the moment, it is believed by the Charlotte Fire Dept that there is not enough foam in the whole state to put out a fire from just one car of oil or propane, let alone a whole train. They would have to let it burn out.
Fortunately, the plan is open to comments until September 15th! We have a chance to bolster the safety requirements and let VTrans know the minimum safety requirements we expect before the rail companies increase the hazardous freight passing near to our houses, farms, rivers, lake, roads, and home!
The Rail Plan: http://rail.vermont.gov/about_us/reports_plans
Send comments to Costa Pappis costa.pappis@state.vt.us before September 15th.
Suggestions for comments (but please modify as you see fit!):
1. Ensure that the Rail Plan is compatible with Vermont’s Town and Regional plans.
2. Include reduced speed limits at public and private rail crossings and wait limits for rail so trains cannot block traffic unnecessarily.
3. Perform strict rail inspections. The potential for washouts along rail lines is increasing as the frequency and intensity of rain storms increases.
4. Invest in safe, secure, and designated rail yards so companies do not store hazardous materials on side rails. The currents plan outlines $800,000 for secure rail yards, but $6 million for new sidings -- small stops along the tracks where trains are currently being stored that are not secure against vandalism, or bored teenagers...
5. Include an emergency response plan that has been approved by local first responders, towns, and state officials. The response plan should account for emergency evacuations and should be subject to public review and input at
municipal and regional levels. And once it’s finalized, the general public must have access to it.
6. Address issues of liability and accountability. The State owns roughly half of the railroads in the state, meaning it has significant responsibility to protect residents from rail catastrophe. Iin the event of a rail disaster or harm to life, property or health, Vermonters need assurances that families and communities will not be left holding the bag. Companies that will profit from moving hazardous materials through Vermont (they can charge large premiums for transporting hazmats) need to be held accountable for the costs of safeguarding public and environmental health. In other cases around the country, the liability insurance held by the rail companies has run out long before clean-up has finished-- sometimes bankrupting the rail company before the issue is resolved.
7. Require the most up-to-date technology for safer rail cars when transporting hazardous materials.
It’s irresponsible to plan for major rail infrastructure improvements without protecting residents, communities, and the environment from disaster. Vermont’s rail plan needs to protect Vermonters and needs to protect our Green Mountains.
Thank you for your time,
Maya Jarrad
Oct 16, 2024, 6 to 7:30 PM
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