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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The United States railroad network is a vital link |
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in our nation's transportation system, carrying more than 500 |
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million passengers annually and moving a record 1.74 trillion |
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ton-miles of cargo in 2006; in addition, freight and passenger |
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trains operate over 170,000 route miles of track and employ more |
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than 232,000 workers; and |
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WHEREAS, Unfortunately, this vast network is fraught with |
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danger; from January to December 2006, the number of train-related |
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accidents and incidents in the United States totaled 11,789, |
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including 2,579 primarily caused by track defects and human error; |
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1,072 of the total occurred in Texas, with 54 occurring in Bexar |
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County alone, and during the first six months of 2006, Texas was the |
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site of 178 train accidents, the most of any state in the nation; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Moreover, with passenger train accidents accounting |
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for only 4.54 percent of all train-related accidents in 2006, cargo |
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trains may present the most serious threat to public safety; many |
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freight trains transport chemicals and hazardous materials that, in |
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the event of an accident involving a leak or spill, would be |
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devastating to train workers, schools, and neighborhoods located |
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near railroads; and |
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WHEREAS, In June 2004, four people died in Bexar County, |
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Texas, following a two-train collision that emitted chlorine gas; |
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in addition to the fatalities, 49 people were treated for breathing |
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problems and other maladies; the potential danger is so severe, the |
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U.S. Coast Guard warns that within 10 minutes, a cloud from a |
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ruptured tank car can spread two miles, and the U.S. Naval Research |
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lab advises that such a cloud could kill 100,000 people within 30 |
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minutes if the incident were to occur in a heavily populated area; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In light of these obvious risks, as our railroads |
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transport record freight totals and a large number of passengers, |
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it is essential that the railroad industry maximize the safety of |
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its employees, customers, passengers, and the communities it |
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serves; a critical step towards accomplishing this goal and |
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minimizing train-related accidents and incidents is to strictly |
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enforce current federal rail regulations; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully request that the Congress of the United States |
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improve public safety by implementing and enforcing stricter |
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federal rail regulations; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the |
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Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this |
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resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |