33-98 Purchase Equipment - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

These resottmes am located strategically throughout thc NS system, and are avaflabte to support railroad personnel and local polic~ and fire departments during incidents. ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURES TO BE TAKEN BY NS IN RESPONSE TO POST- TRANSACTION rNCREA~ES IN HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRA_WFIC Implementation of the Conrail Transaction will affect the volume ofhu?~ous materials shipped on NS lines, and the mutes used to move the huT._,'dous materials to customers. Some NS rail line segments will experience increases in hazardous mater/als traffic, while other line segments will experience decreases. The Draft Environmental ImlraCt Statement (DEIS) on the Transaction, prepared by the Surface Transportation Board (STB), identifies NS mil line segments which are anticipated to experience increases in h.~,rdous materials traffic. The DEIS recommends specific safety measures for rail line segments projected to experience increases in b,~rdous materials traffic above the key mute threshold of 10,000 cars annually as a result of the Transaction, with addifiornl safety measures for rail line seg?nents where bs~rdous mamrials a'affi¢ is expected to double and exceed 20,000 ear loads annually. NS concurs with the DEtS recommendation that the increases in hazardous materials tran~ortation warrant additional safety measures. In keeping with the DEIS recommended mitigation strategy and NS' own proactive approach to safety, and contingent on the STB' s approval of the joint CSX-NS application to acquire control of Corn-ail, NS commits to the following: System-Wide Safet, v Measures NS will implement its existing Risk Management Program for Hazardous Materials across the entire post-Tratmcfiou NS system. This will include the following spec/ftc act/om: NS will develop m~d maintain Emergency Action Plans for Fl~?~rdous Materials system=wide. NS has two types of plans that addr~ potential hazardous mu~_,_-rials incidents. These are NS Emergency ,4ction Plans for Hazardous Materials Incidents and Division Emergent. ~ction Plans for Hazardous Materials £ncidents. Similar plans will be Ia'epared and implemented for the newly-acquired Conrail mil lines and facilities. NS will maintain and continue to improve its safety policies and procedures to reduce *he risk of hazardous material incidents. NS has established a Risk Management Pm.mare for I4u~rdous Materials within its Environmental 'Protection department. In addition, NS corporate operating policies and procedures incorporate the safety policies and procedures of AAR Circular OT-$$ for the safe transport ofl~.~nious materials and the CMA Responsible Care program for the safe transport and handling of chemicals. These operating policies and procedures will be implemented throughout the expanded NS system. A Safety Integration Plan (SIP) was prepared by NS and submitted May29,1998 4