Legislation To Mandate Alerts On Hazardous Rail Shipments

Senator Hannon at news conference

Senator Kemp Hannon held a news conference on Saturday, January 12 announcing legislation (S. 6727/A. 9635) which would mandate freight train companies carrying hazardous wastes and radioactive materials would have to alert local villages and first responders to the shipments. To date, local villages, fire departments, schools and public facilities are not give the information even though such information is given to county entities.

Senator Hannon said, "the local villages and fire departments have been kept in the dark as to the transportation of these materials, which can include radioactive soil from Brookhaven, liquid or gas nitrogen, and construction and factory wastes. In the event of an emergency, first responders would not know how to appropriately cope with the situation. This legislation requires all railroads transporting hazardous materials through Nassau and Suffolk Counties to give advance notice to the MTA, local governments, law enforcement and first responders."

The bill was developed in response to freight train shipments of radioactive materials beings shipped through communities without information being provided to localities and first responders. Brookhaven National Labs has already shipped thousands of cubic yards of radioactive soils and is poised to begin new shipments. Officials in Queens County stopped shipments of the materials years ago until they were briefed and given assurances to the safety precautions and disclosure of information.

Save Our Villages President Robert Femminella said, "this legislation is extremely important to the people who live along the track line and beyond. We need to have the assurance that our elected officials and first responders know in advance what types of hazardous material is being transported along the rail line. Without this information, in the event of an accident, the outcome for residents could be catastrophic."