Category: Washington
New head of National Mediation Board named
The National Mediation Board (NMB) announced Monday that Linda A. Puchala has been named chair of the board, effective July 1. Gerald Fauth III and Kyle Fortson remain as board members. Puchala was confirmed as an NMB member by the United States Senate on May 21, 2009. She ha [...]Safe Freight Act two-person crew bill introduced in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON (June 26, 2019) — U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today introduced the Safe Freight Act, (S.1979) legislation that would promote rail safety by mandating at least two-person crews on all freight trains in the United States. The bill [...]
U.S. House acts to block LNG transport by rail
The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday, June 24, passed an amendment that would block President Donald Trump’s Executive Order in April to the Department of Transportation to fast-track the allowance of liquid natural gas (LNG) to be transported by rail. “In its ne [...]
President Previsich testifies before House subcommittee
SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich testifies Thursday afternoon before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich appeared before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, [...]
Legislative update: Where national bills of importance stand
Here’s a quick update on where legislation important to SMART Transportation Division members stands on a national level: The Safe Freight Act in the U.S. House (H.R. 1748), national two-person crew legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Don Young in March, has 60 co-spons [...]
Amtrak CEO’s letter: Long-distance service stays through fiscal year
A U.S. senator from Kansas received an assurance in a letter from Amtrak’s president and CEO that the national passenger carrier will maintain long-distance service at its current status quo through the 2019 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, and possibly on through the enactm [...]
FRA just reduced the prospects of a safer railroad industry
By John Previsich, SMART TD President, and Dennis Pierce, BLET National President On Thursday, May 23, 2019, we were informed that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) had released a notice, withdrawing a 2016 notice of proposed rulemaking establishing a minimum train cr [...]
John Risch: FRA, Trump administration halt all crew safety efforts
Dear SMART TD, Today the Trump administration did everything it could to stop all railroad crew safety issues. In a Federal Register posting published at 4 p.m. today, the FRA formally withdrew the pending proposed rulemaking dating from 2016 that would have set a mandatory c [...]