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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Volumes of crude oil shipments have risen rapidly
3in the 2010s relative to previous decades; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
5remains committed to transporting flammable liquids by all
6modes of transportation; this includes the nation's
7140,000-mile freight railroad network that is often located
8near such public areas as neighborhoods and schools,
9endangering citizens by placing them unknowingly within blast
10and evacuations zones; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The rail transportation of large volumes of crude
12oil and other petroleum products presents unique safety risks;
13and
 
14    WHEREAS, Incidents such as the derailment in Lac-Megantic,
15Quebec, Canada, when a unit train carrying crude oil from the
16Bakken region of North Dakota killed 47 unsuspecting people and
17decimated most of the village, have resulted in significant and
18devastating loss of life and destruction of property and the
19environment; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The safe and successful management of any
21hazardous materials incident is based on effective

 

 

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1pre-incident planning, preparedness, training, exercises, and
2implementation of an incident management system; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
4Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal
5Railroad Administration (FRA), issued a final rule to improve
6oil spill response readiness and mitigate effects of rail
7accidents and incidents involving petroleum oil and
8high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs); and
 
9    WHEREAS, The intent of comprehensive oil spill response
10plans (COSRPs) requirements is to ensure that local emergency
11responders and emergency response planning officials have
12access to sufficient information regarding the movement of
13HHFTs in their jurisdictions to adequately plan and prepare for
14emergency events; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Government concern regarding the dissemination of
16"sensitive security information" should not surpass a parent's
17right to information necessary in allowing them to make
18decisions related to securing the safety of their child or the
19school faculty and staff's right to safe working conditions;
20and
 
21    WHEREAS, In order for school personnel to manage a
22hazardous materials incident safely and successfully, they too

 

 

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1must take part in effective pre-incident planning,
2preparedness, training, exercises, and implementation of an
3incident management system; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Even without derailing, spilling, or exploding,
5doctors have warned that proximity to oil trains poses a
6serious health risk with increasing rates in cancer, asthma,
7and cardiovascular disease through exposure to particulate
8matter released as emissions from trains; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge local emergency
11response planning officials to partner with school districts in
12their region in order to disseminate information pertaining to
13safety threats related to the storage and transport of
14hazardous substances, including petroleum oil and HHFTs, to the
15parents of attending students, faculty and staff, and schools
16at risk of being negatively impacted by storage facilities
17and/or the transport of such hazardous materials; and be it
18further
 
19    RESOLVED, That we urge local emergency response planning
20officials to include school districts in their region in the
21development and implementation of oil spill response plans
22specific to incidents involving the storage and transport of
23hazardous materials, including petroleum oil and HHFTs; and be

 

 

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1it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
3delivered to all emergency response planning committees
4throughout the state.