Legalectric

From Green Delaware, there’s action in Delaware in support of U.S. Senate Bill 859, the Rail Safety Act of 2015, urging something similar in the House:

Wisconsin’s Senator Tammy Baldwin has introduced the Crude-by-Rail Safety Act of 2015.  Tammy Baldwin and also Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) are the authors.  GOOD, ’bout time we get some federal legislation moving on this!  How many more trains need to explode before we get some action?

BIG thanks to CARS (Citizens Acting for Rail Safety) for all their work on this, and for letting us all know that this bill is in the works.

Contact your Senators, ask them to support this bill, and ask them to sign on as co-authors.  Let’s get this moving down the track!

Here’s the bill:

Crude-by-Rail Safety Act of 2015

And here are the basic points covered by the bill:

Points

And Sen. Baldwin’s press release on this bill HERE.

This is such an important start to protect the safety of everyone along the many Bakken BOOM! routes throughout the U.S.

Call or email your Senators today in support of this bill!

Who’s my Senator?  CONTACT INFO HERE!

Here’s a report from “The Bakken” on this legislation:

Debate on shipping crude by rail heats up in Washington

If it’s “private” why remove a public funding prohibition?

Closed door meeting, and why?

“North American High Speed Rail Group” I don’t see a lobbyist principal registration. Joe Sperber, Chuck Michael… don’t see lobbyist registrations for them either. And who else is missing?

And if it’s private investors, why do Rep. Drazkowski, Rep. Garafolo, Rep. Norton, and Sen. Senjem think there needs to be any legislation?  What’s the bill for?  Why would government need to be involved?  Oh… right… because they want to lift the prohibition of public money being used, yeah, that’s it… If it’s private development, why lift the ban? How could that possibly be made worthwhile for these legislators? And how is that in the public interest?!?!?!

From the video:

“Representative Pat Garafolo reached an agreement with the group…”

“Rochester lawmakers are concerned about a law prohibiting public money being used on the Zip Rail, and think a public/private partnership might be a better route.”

Say what?!?!

Here’s the video:

And in the Post Bulletin:

Long rail ahead for private rail developer

From the article:
During an interview after the meeting, North American’s CEO and president, Joe Sperber, said the company believes it can do something that has never been done in the United States before —privately build and operate a high-speed rail system. The key to making the plan a success is that it would not rely simply on the rail. Instead, Sperber said the project would including economic development tied into the project.

“Rail by itself isn’t always going to be economically viable, so you look at rail, you look at real estate development and then you look at the economic development that comes out of all of that,” he said.

Also from KTTC in Rochester, which identifies Joe Sperber as a wheeler-dealer on this project (what’s his interest?):

I was not happy with the MnDOT Rail Plan, and let them know, particularly that it is not OUR job, “we the people,” to pay for upgrades and safety measures required due to the super volatile Bakken BOOM! oil, and today the Gov. stood up to the railroads.

Here are my Comments:

Overland_Comments_3-10-2015

Here’s that Draft Rail Plan, comments were due Tuesday:

Draft MN State Rail Plan

From today’s STrib, Gov. Mark Dayton is leaning on the railroads:

Overland_Comments_3-10-2015

And what are the Comments about?  Here’s the Plan:

Draft MN State Rail Plan