Transportation News for February 24, 2015

  • by BPC Staff
  • on February 24, 2015
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POLITICO Morning Transportation for 2/24/2015

By HEATHER CAYGLE, with help from Kevin Robillard and Kathryn A. Wolfe

TIME TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS: Sen. Richard Blumenthal said last week’s fiery oil train derailment in West Virginia is just the latest sign that it’s time for the administration to get serious on tank-car regulations and pick a permanent leader to head the Federal Railroad Administration. “I’m going to be talking to the FRA in-depth about it,” Blumenthal told MT about the West Virginia accident. “I’ve talked to them preliminarily and I think it shows the need for more proactive standards.”
And what about FRA leadership? Former DOT Chief of Staff Sarah Feinberg has been serving in an acting capacity since Administrator Joe Szabo left in January. But the agency is also lacking a deputy administrator following Karen Hedlund’s departure in September. Blumenthal said its time to get someone in the top FRA position permanently given all the safety matters the agency has to handle this year. “I believe strongly that there is a need for leadership and proactive vision,” the Connecticut lawmaker told MT. “My hope is that the president will nominate a permanent leader as quickly as possible because there is the need for real direction and vision and leadership.”

Coming soon: Heitkamp bill on crude oil cleanup training— Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is reintroducing her bill to beef up hazmat training for first responders that deal with crude oil derailments and plans an afternoon conference call today announcing the bill. She introduced similar legislation last summer following the December 2013 derailment of a crude oil train in Casselton, North Dakota. Here’s a one-page summary of that bill: http://1.usa.gov/1JEXgBj

Canadian officials question tank car rules: Canadian safety officials are questioning new rail standards after trains that recently derailed in both Ontario and West Virginia resulted in fiery accidents even though both involved newer tank cars. More from the AP: “A fiery oil train derailment in Ontario this month suggests new safety requirements for tank cars carrying flammable liquids are inadequate, Canada’s transport safety board announced Monday.”

“The Canadian Transportation Safety Board said the tank cars involved in the Feb. 14 train derailment met upgraded standards that started to be instituted in Canada last year for new tank cars carrying crude and other flammable liquids. But it said the Class 111, 1232 standard cars still ‘performed similarly’ to those involved in the derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec that killed 47 people two years ago. That accident predated the changes. ‘This was supposed to be a better quality car. So far we haven’t seen that better performance,’ Rob Johnston, a senior Transportation Safety Board official, said in an interview with The Associated Press.” Full story: http://bit.ly/1EptsEs

ON TAP FOR TODAY: The Mileage-Based User Fee Alliance hosts its second annual conference with Rep. Earl Blumenauer set to keynote. Full agenda here: http://politico.pro/1AoWmCM

BRAKES APPLIED IN METRO-NORTH CRASH: The NTSB issued a preliminary report Monday saying the operator of a Metro-North train involved in a fatal collision with an SUV earlier this month applied the emergency brakes before impact. Six people were killed during the Feb. 3 accident after the Metro-North train collided with an SUV that was stopped on the tracks. Witnesses said that the SUV had stopped at a grade crossing prior to the gates lowering to warn of an approaching train. “When the gate lowered it struck the rear portion of the SUV after which the driver exited the SUV, looked at the back of the SUV, then got back in the SUV, drove forward [east], and was struck by the train,” the report said. The train pushed the vehicle 650 feet down the track, damaging the electrified third rail, which “pierced the SUV and then entered the railcar in two locations.”

Train traveling below speed limit: The maximum speed in that area was 60 miles per hour; the train had been traveling at 58 mph before the train’s operator saw a vehicle “partially fouling the crossing” and applied the emergency brakes. The brakes were applied four seconds before the collision, which slowed the train to 49 miles per hour. Read the report: http://1.usa.gov/17P1ZyT

Related: Metro-North crash causes $3.7 million in damage. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1D5VjVQ

TWO THUMBS UP FOR TUESDAY Good morning and thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Your MT host is happy to be counting down the days until her next trek down south to warmer climates as the frigid Washington air looms outside — less than a month go to until a visit to Alabama is on the docket.

Got any good scoops, tips, complaints or transportation trivia? Hit me up at hcaygle@politico.com or send a tweet: @heatherscope. And don’t forget to follow @Morning_Transpo and @POLITICOPro.

“Well those cars never stop coming, keep those rags and machines humming…” http://bit.ly/1ipT7PS

TSA OFFICERS ON EDGE OVER DHS STANDOFF: As the DHS funding standoff hits a climactic denouement this week, TSA officers are expressing concerns about the possibility of having to work without pay, especially as memories of a similar situation during the 2013 government shutdown are still fresh. More from NPR: “Congress has until the end of Friday to figure out a way to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Otherwise, the department shuts down. But a ‘shutdown’ doesn’t mean workers go home. Instead, the vast majority of transportation security officers will have to keep showing up for work — but they won’t be seeing paychecks until lawmakers find a way out. … Many TSA employees say it’s frustrating to see the drama in fall 2013 repeating itself so soon. ‘It is just the same movie all over again. That’s what it is. So we’ll just ride out the storm and see what happens,’ said TSA supervisor Fred Williams.” Read full story: http://n.pr/1Glfu5G ?

Where there’s a will, there’s a way: Perhaps realizing the pickle they’ve worked themselves into over the DHS stalemate, some lawmakers are considering a short-term funding resolution to wiggle their way out. Senate dream team Burgess Everett and Manu Raju bring it: “Senior Republicans said privately [Monday] that the party may have no choice now but to fund the agency on a short-term basis. The length of a so-called continuing resolution isn’t clear, but McConnell plans to discuss the matter with GOP senators in a closed-door lunch on Tuesday. … ‘Clearly I’d prefer a CR over lapsing,’ said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), who’s up for reelection next year.” Full story: http://politi.co/17PMDdo

MOAK WRITES CABINET ON OPEN SKIES: The mailbag fight over Open Skies policies with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates continues. Americans for Fair Skies President Lee Moak sent a letter to three Cabinet secretaries Monday protesting the “undercutting of Open Skies by countries engaged in predatory protectionism through the subsidization of their airlines.” The letter is intended as a response to a Friday missive by FedEx Express CEO David Bronczek accusing American passenger airlines of seeking protection by asking the U.S. to renegotiate the Open Skies agreements with the Gulf countries. “In carrying out their dramatic and subsidized expansion, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have turned Open Skies on its head and violated it in both letter and spirit,” Moak wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. Read the letter: http://politico.pro/1w3sDtS

BLUMENAUER TO HOST COMEDY NIGHT FUNDRAISER: POLITICO Influence with the deets: “Rep. Earl Blumenauer is hosting a ‘D.C. comedy event’ fundraiser, where performers will include Democratic Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio, Derek Kilmer, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Linda T. Sánchez and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The event will take place at the Phoenix Park Hotel on March 18th. The event will cost $5,000 to chair, $2,500 to host, $1,000 for guests and $500 for individuals.”

THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ):

-How neglected roads and bridges take a toll on U.S. companies. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1MNSVe9

-EPA tightens rules for fuel economy standards. The New York Times: http://nyti.ms/1Eq1RCY (h/t Bob King)

-American Airlines jet slides off icy taxiway in Dallas. USA Today: http://usat.ly/1zBz3lz

-Honda replaces its president after fallout from defective Takata airbags. Bloomberg: http://bit.ly/1DPd6Ez

-TTD outlines transportation policy priorities for 2015: http://bit.ly/1zBxRi0

-GM ignition switch death toll rises to 57. The Guardian: http://bit.ly/17PNH0W

-DOT says United won’t have to honor super low fares. USA Today: http://usat.ly/1AoE6cX

-Are Uber drivers blacklisting some passengers? The Consumerist: http://bit.ly/1DKVFXd

THE COUNTDOWN: Highway and transit policy expires in 96 days. DOT appropriations run out and the FAA reauthorization expires in 218 days. The 2016 presidential election is in 623 days.

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