HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 34

(By Delegate Boggs, Brown, Browning, Louisos, Morgan, Stemple, Swartzmiller, Armstead, Blair, Duke, Overington and Walters)

Requesting the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration to provide the West Virginia Legislature with a copy of the Final Report on the Safety of Remote Control Locomotive Operations.

Whereas, Remote Control Locomotive Operations are a significant departure from traditional railroading according to the Federal Railroad Administration; and
Whereas, Select Committee A on Flooding and Railroad Issues was created by the Joint Committee on Government and Finance as part of the 2004 legislative interims to study, through independent inquiry or reliance upon existing or ongoing research and reporting by other entities, the use of Remote Control Locomotive Operations in rail switching operations; and
Whereas, On September 2, 2003, the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation requested the Federal Railroad Administration to conduct an assessment of the impact of Remote Control Locomotive Operations on safety, including a comparison of the rate of accidents, injuries, and fatalities involving Remote Control Locomotive Operations with similar operations involving manned locomotives; and
Whereas, On May 13, 2004, the Federal Railroad Administrator announced the Interim Report on Safety of Remote Control Locomotive Operations; and
Whereas, The Interim Report indicates that the use of Remote Control Locomotive Operations in and around rail yards results in safety benefits; and
Whereas, The Interim Report also indicates that the Federal Railroad Administration has identified several safety issues relating to Remote Control Locomotives Operations which have, in some instances, been resolved and in other instances remain pending further investigation and resolution, along with certain other issues which do not pose safety hazards but should be studied; and
Whereas, The Interim Report states that the final report will address the pending safety issues and other issues of concern; and
Whereas, The safety of all West Virginia citizens is a primary goal of the State of West Virginia; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That The Federal Railroad Administrator be requested to provide the West Virginia Legislature with a copy of the Final Report on the Safety of Remote Control Locomotive Operations; and, be it
Further resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates is hereby directed to forward a copy of this Resolution to Robert D. Jamison, Acting Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20590.