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LANSING, Mich. – Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group supported by the Koch brothers, has launched an effort to torpedo a proposed settlement in the Detroit bankruptcy case, potentially complicating chances for completing the deal just as its prospects seemed to be improving.

The organization, formed to fight big government and spending, is contacting 90,000 conservatives in Michigan and encouraging them to rally against a plan to provide $195 million in state money to help settle Detroit pension holders’ claims in the case, a key element of the deal.

Read the complete story at the Associated Press.

The railroad industry took a step toward resolving a dispute with American Indian tribes that has stalled the biggest rail-safety project in U.S. history.

The $13.2 billion build-out of networks of sensors, which automatically slow or stop trains if a crash seems probable, has been held up as some tribes exercised their rights to review whether tower construction would affect their sacred grounds. The Federal Communications Commission said today that it reached an agreement with seven rail companies to begin testing on 11,000 poles that had already been constructed.

Read the complete story at Bloomberg News.

oil-train-railSAN FRANCISCO – Shipments of crude by rail into California are expected to increase 25-fold in the next two years.

With derailments and explosions on the rise in other parts of the country you would think the state is making extra sure that the railroads here are in good condition. But as KPIX5 found out, think again.

Read the complete story at Television Station KPIX.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – A deadly Metro-North train derailment last year in which the “dazed” engineer was found to have sleep apnea has pushed the commuter railroad to look into establishing screening for the condition, which could include measuring operators’ necks and asking them and their spouses about snoring habits.

Metro-North spokesman Aaron Donovan confirmed that the railroad that serves New York City’s northern suburbs is working with unions on sleep apnea screening, but he cautioned nothing has been decided. Any program, he said, “would be for all employees in any safety-sensitive positions.”

Read the complete story at the Associated Press.

OSHA logo; OSHAA Canadian National Railway conductor who says he was wrongfully fired in 2013 could be getting his job back.

“This was a whistleblower lawsuit because I was singled out and wrongfully terminated,” Wayne Laidler said. “I felt it was important to pursue the case to bring to light the way corporate America treats their employees. The company, they shoot first and ask questions later. I wanted to make sure this doesn’t happen to any other employees in the future.”

Read the complete story at The Times Herald.

SMART_logo_041712_thumbnailLocals entitled to additional Delegates at the SMART General Convention in Las Vegas, Nev., are reminded that there’s still time to elect such Delegates if action is taken quickly.

The SMART Constitution’s Article Twenty-One B (21B), Section 55, provides for the scheduling of Special meetings, and through the scheduling of two such meetings, and the mailing of a notice to the membership, Locals wishing to elect additional Delegates to send to the SMART General Convention have just enough time to do so before the June 15, 2014, deadline.

For information on how to coordinate this approach, please contact this office as soon as possible by calling (216) 228-9400.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minnesota legislator wants Congress to put teeth into requirements for railroads moving hazardous content tank cars. State Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis) is chair of the Transportation Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration issued a safety advisory earlier in May urging shippers and railroads to use newer, stronger tank cars to ship cargo like the highly flammable Bakken crude oil from North Dakota.

Read the complete story at Television Station KARE.

krohn_herb
Krohn

SMART Transportation Division Washington State Legislative Director Herb Krohn appeared on the cable television station Showtime’s documentary series “Years of Living Dangerously” Monday, May 12, in an episode entitled “The Governor.”
According to Showtime, the documentary event series explores the human impact of climate change.
In “The Governor,” correspondent Olivia Munn profiles what the show bills as the nation’s most climate-conscious governor, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and reports on what he’ll do about the coal export depots in his state.
The show states as governor, Inslee is facing a well-financed campaign by the coal industry to build export depots that could ship 100 million tons of coal to Asia each year.
Krohn was interviewed for his perspective in support of the export terminal issue.
“I appeared on the episode for maybe a few minutes, even though the actual filmed interview lasted almost three hours,” Krohn said. “It is docu-entertainment and has a very biased perspective.”
“You can come out and protest and you can feel like you are doing something for the world. But, you are not accomplishing anything except costing American jobs,” Krohn tells viewers in the show.
Learn more about the episode here.

oil-train-railWASHINGTON – America’s smaller railroads lack the capability to offer safety training in the shipment of crude oil and ethanol, and two top Senate appropriators asked federal regulators Thursday to fund those efforts.

Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, wrote Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx requesting the creation of the Short Line Safety Institute to help improve safety on the nation’s smaller railroads, which are carrying an increasing amount of hazardous materials.

Read the complete story at the Miami Herald.

The Midwest High Speed Rail Association praised Vice President Joe Biden for doubling down on his commitment to federal investment in passenger rail on Wednesday. Biden visited Cleveland to celebrate new federal investment in the improvement and renewal of the rail transit infrastructure at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Rail Complex, known as Cleveland Rapid.

“We applaud this investment in the transportation future of Cleveland region and the Midwest,” said Midwest High Speed Rail Association Executive Director Richard Harnish. “Investment in upgrading railroads is a huge generator of jobs and revenue—so it’s a linchpin of economic recovery in Ohio and all across the region.“

Harnish said the Cleveland rail complex would be an even greater asset if Amtrak were able to expand to daylight service from Cleveland to Chicago and New York. The trains which run between these two urban hubs offer only late-night service at Cleveland, thus limiting its usefulness both for business and recreational travel.

“The fact is, the Midwest urgently needs daylight trains to connect local economies and bring people together,” said Harnish. “Midwestern cities depend on fast, convenient and affordable rail service to drive business.”

To optimize local investments and improvements to the rail system in Cleveland and across the region, Harnish urged the Senate Commerce Committee to forward its Rail Title.

“As Vice President Biden showed today, we are on the cusp of a breakthrough in public investment in a rail system for the future, ” said Harnish, “Now let’s see the Senate fulfill its commitment and get this done.”

The Midwest High Speed Rail Association is one of the nation’s leading advocacy organizations in the effort to bring high-speed rail to the United States. For more information, please visit www.midwesthsr.org.