Responsible Railroads Act of 2004

Responsible Railroads Act of 2004 - Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit a rail tank car containing hazardous materials from being transported or stored on rail tracks unless information identifying the tank car, the hazardous materials within such tank car, and response guidance is immediately available through Operation Respond Institute's technology or similar technology to local first responders in each location where the tank car may be located. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide an exception to such prohibition if no data base exists through which the requirement can be met.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4802 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4802

   To require information on railroad tank cars containing hazardous 
             materials to be available to first responders.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 9, 2004

  Mr. Meehan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require information on railroad tank cars containing hazardous 
             materials to be available to first responders.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Railroads Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS.

    Chapter 51 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in section 5111--
                    (A) by inserting ``(a) Air Brake Equipment.--'' 
                before ``A rail tank car''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subsection:
    ``(b) Information for First Responders.--
            ``(1) Prohibition.--No rail tank car containing hazardous 
        materials may be transported or stored on rail tracks that are 
        part of or connected to the general system of railroad 
        transportation unless information identifying the tank car, the 
        hazardous materials within such tank car, and response guidance 
        is immediately available to local first responders in each 
        location where the tank car may be located. Such information 
        shall be provided through the Operation Respond Institute's 
        technology or similar technology. Each day in which a tank car 
        is transported or stored in violation of this paragraph shall 
        constitute a separate violation.
            ``(2) Exception.--The Secretary of Transportation may 
        provide an exception to the prohibition under paragraph (1) if 
        no data base exists through which the requirement can be 
        met.''; and
            (2) in section 5124, by adding at the end the following: 
        ``This section shall not apply to a violation of section 
        5111(b) or a regulation prescribed or order issued under such 
        subsection.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by section 2 shall take effect 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act.
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