6 U.S.C. § 1201: Railroad routing of security-sensitive materials

Not later than 9 months after August 3, 2007 , the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary, shall publish a final rule based on the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published on December 21, 2006 , entitled “Hazardous Materials: Enhancing Railroad Transportation Safety and Security for Hazardous Materials Shipments”. The final rule shall incorporate the requirements of this section and, as appropriate, public comments received during the comment period of the rulemaking. The Secretary of Transportation shall ensure that the final rule requires each railroad carrier transporting security-sensitive materials in commerce to, no later than 90 days after the end of each calendar year, compile security-sensitive materials commodity data. Such data must be collected by route, line segment, or series of line segments, as aggregated by the railroad carrier. Within the railroad carrier selected route, the commodity data must identify the geographic location of the route and the total number of shipments by the United Nations identification number for the security-sensitive materials. The Secretary of Transportation shall ensure that the final rule requires each railroad carrier transporting security-sensitive materials in commerce to, for each calendar year, provide a written analysis of the safety and security risks for the transportation routes identified in the security-sensitive materials commodity data collected as required by subsection (b). The safety and security risks present shall be analyzed for the route, railroad facilities, railroad storage facilities, and high-consequence targets along or in proximity to the route. identify practicable alternative routes over which the railroad carrier has authority to operate as compared to the current route for such a shipment analyzed under subsection (c); and perform a safety and security risk assessment of the alternative route for comparison to the route analysis specified in subsection (c); identification of safety and security risks for an alternative route; comparison of those risks identified under subparagraph (A) to the primary railroad transportation route, including the risk of a catastrophic release from a shipment traveling along the alternate route compared to the primary route; any remediation or mitigation measures implemented on the primary or alternative route; and potential economic effects of using an alternative route; and consider when determining the practicable alternative routes under paragraph (1)(A) the use of interchange agreements with other railroad carriers. The Secretary of Transportation shall ensure that the final rule requires each railroad carrier transporting security-sensitive materials in commerce to use the analysis required by subsections (c) and (d) to select the safest and most secure route to be used in transporting security-sensitive materials. The Secretary of Transportation shall ensure that the final rule requires each railroad carrier transporting security-sensitive materials in commerce to annually review and select the practicable route posing the least overall safety and security risk in accordance with this section. The railroad carrier must retain in writing all route review and selection decision documentation and restrict the distribution, disclosure, and availability of information contained in the route analysis to appropriate persons. This documentation should include, but is not limited to, comparative analyses, charts, graphics, or railroad system maps. The Secretary of Transportation shall ensure that the final rule requires each railroad carrier transporting security-sensitive materials in commerce to, not less than once every 3 years, analyze the route selection determinations required under this section. Such an analysis shall include a comprehensive, systemwide review of all operational changes, infrastructure modifications, traffic adjustments, changes in the nature of high-consequence targets located along or in proximity to the route, or other changes affecting the safety and security of the movements of security-sensitive materials that were implemented since the previous analysis was completed. In carrying out subsection (c), railroad carriers transporting security-sensitive materials in commerce shall seek relevant information from State, local, and tribal officials, as appropriate, regarding security risks to high-consequence targets along or in proximity to a route used by a railroad carrier to transport security-sensitive materials. The term “route” includes storage facilities and trackage used by railroad cars in transportation in commerce. catastrophic loss of life; significant damage to national security or defense capabilities; or national economic harm.