The North Dakota Legislature will be considering some bills dealing with railroad safety.
Sen. George Sinner’s (D-Fargo) proposal is to create a five member Rail Safety Committee – funded by a special fuels excise tax the railroads pay. Sinner says that committee would review rail accidents, inventory all unprotected rail crossings on school bus routes, and would make recommendations to the Public Service Commission for safety improvements. Sinner says some have already said this is nothing more than a new layer of bureaucracy .
"When it comes to the safety of North Dakota people, we want this to be a priority," Sinner told Bismarck reporters. "While there are lots of folks talking about rail safety, it seems like an army without a general, with no one giving the orders and no one taking command."
Another bill now pending would require trains to have minimum two person crews. Rep.Wayne Trottier (R-Northwood) says right now, trains have two member crews – but there’s a movement toward automation that could cut the crew to one.
"As I understand it, the one that's the engineer on the train has to stay in the engine," said Trottier. "So if there's a problem of any kind, there's a need for an assistant."
Hearings on both bills have not yet been set.