Rep. Ron Kind Leads Bipartisan Effort to Secure $500,000 for Improved Rail and Pipeline Safety

WASHINGTON, DC – The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan amendment today, introduced by U.S. Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI), Tim Griffin (R-AR), and Tim Walz (D-MN), to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill aimed at improving rail and pipeline safety. The amendment would increase funding to the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) operational account by $500,000.

“As we’ve seen in recent train derailments and fuel spills, we need to address the safety of our pipelines and railroads immediately,” said Rep. Kind. “As the amount of oil moving through Wisconsin on trains continues to increase, so does the risk associated with tank cars. We have a system in place to monitor the transport of fuel, but without adequate funding it is very difficult for our inspectors to do their jobs.”

Earlier this year, PHMSA fined three oil companies for misclassifying hazardous materials found during its “Bakken blitz” inspections which focused on the transport of Bakken crude oil. The funding secured in Rep. Kind’s amendment would be steered toward hiring more inspectors who would carry out these types of investigations.

Rep. Kind has been leading the fight for improved rail safety in Wisconsin and across the U.S. In January of this year, Rep. Kind joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in sending a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration asking for prompt action to improve rail safety.  It called for a review of existing hazmat safety rules, crash testing of newer tank cars voluntarily built to higher standards, and the adoption of the National Transportation Safety Board’s most recent recommendations to improve rail safety. He later sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee that calls for increased funding for rail safety programs.

Rep. Kind has also been outspoken about the need for increased transparency as to what is being shipped by train, to ensure that the community at large is in the loop about what’s being carried through our neighborhoods.