The Railroad Association of America appearing before the Homeland Security Committee has expressed reservations about the future transportation of dangerous chemicals by rail.

The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act 2008 hearing saw the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Association of American Railroads Edward Hamberger issue a general statement calling upon the chemical industry to cease making dangerous chemicals where safer alternatives can be produced instead.

Hamberger said that the railroad industry “can no longer continue to risk the  lives of millions of Americans by using, transporting and storing highly toxic chemicals when there are safer alternatives commercially available.” It is time for the nation’s big chemical companies to stop making the dangerous chemicals that can be replaced by safer substitutes or new technologies currently in the marketplace.”

The transportation of dangerous substances such as chlorine gas for water utilities is one example whereby a dangerous substance has been taken of the rails as customers of chlorine gas have been able to find viable alternatives.  The Centre for American Progress reporting on the subject have stated that six drinking water and nineteen wastewater facilities since 1999 have already moved to cease using chlorine at their facilities, thus removing from rail lines a significant portion of the dangerous substance.

Groups like the National Research Council, part of the National Academy of Sciences, agree, saying that “the most desirable solution to preventing chemical releases is to reduce or eliminate the hazard where possible, not control it. 

The Association of American Railroads supports this approach and addition to calling on the chemical industry to self-regulate, the association has hinted to Congress that it should make provisions within the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act 2008 to see the dangerous substances with viable alternatives taken of America’s railroads.

Source: Association of American Railroads and the Centre for American Progress

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