Bill to improve rail safety, like the crude oil that runs through La Crosse, still going through Congress

Ron Kind has high hopes for final version

There is a lot of hope yet for a bill to improve rail safety in the U.S., especially for the types of crude oil trains that run through La Crosse. 

In the middle of a federal comment period for new rules on oil train hazard response, La Crosse Congressman Ron Kind sees high hopes for what the final version will look like.

“This is a proactive attempt to try and prevent a disaster from occurring,” he said, “but also making sure everyone’s on the same page and we each know what our respective responsibilities are if we have to respond to a train derailment.”

Kind is hopeful to make progress on a plan to expand requirements for oil spill response plans sooner, rather than later.

“So, we dodged a bullet last year when we had a major train derailment with Bakken oil right across the southern border,” Kind said. “Fortunately, it was in a rural area and not downtown Platteville or downtown Prairie du Chien.”

A proposal by Kind, introduced last year, would set safety standards and develop plans for rail safety and response in the U.S. The comment period for expanding requirements for oil spill response plans ends next month. 

Although it’s outside of the scope of his proposal, Kind does believe that there may eventually be an effort in Congress to allow local and state control over rail shipments, including and especially the hazardous kind.