Lac-Mgantic mayor lobbies Washington for more rail safety

The mayor of Lac-Mgantic, Que., who has spent the last two days lobbying lawmakers and officials in Washington, D.C., to take more action on rail safety,told a news conference Tuesday that her town's tragedy must not be in vain.

Colette Roy-Larochewas in the U.S. capital with acoalition of cross-border officialsfrom Quebec, New Brunswick and the United States to press thecase for stricter rail safety regulations in North America.

"With every day, every press conference and every meeting, the same questions haunt me. Why? Why my community, why in my hometown?" she told reporters in French who were gathered at the Canadian Embassy.

"We can't let a tragedy like the one we experienced in Lac-Mgantic be in vain," she said. "We need to investigate, find out what happened and do everything in our power to make sure it never happens again."

• Timeline: Lac-Mgantic disaster

Lac-Mgantic, a small town in eastern Quebec, lost 47 people last July when a runaway train derailed and tank cars carrying crude oil exploded into a giant fireball. The disaster prompted calls for changes to rail safety regulations in Canada and is also used as example in the United States by those pushing for tighter rules.

Roy-Laroche said what happened in her town was a painful reminder that inadequate safety regulations can lead to disasters with death tolls and financial losses far exceeding what is allocated to enforcing rules and trying to prevent accidents in the first place.

$400Mspent on Lac-Mgantic so far

So far $400 million has been spent on cleaning up Lac-Mgantic and on victim assistance, and millions more will have to be spent to restore the once-vibrant town, she said.

Roy-Laroche said there are inadequate safety regulations on both sides of the border, and that's why the coalition is working together to lobby the Canadian and U.S. governments.

She said there is an urgent need for the governments to act more quickly before another community suffers the same fate as hers.

The other Canadian mayors on the trip to Washington wereVicki May Hamm of Magog, Que., and Roger Doironof Richibuto, Luc Desjardins of Petit-Rocher andJean-Guy Marquisfrom Edmundston, all in New Brunswick.

Karen Darch, the mayor of Barrington, Ill., and Peter Neilsen of the Maine Municipal Association were also part of the Cross-Border Municipal Coalition for Railway Safety.

The group metMonday with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, the administrator of the Federal RailroadAdministration, Joseph C. Szabo, as well as a transport official at the Canadian Embassy. Tuesday's itinerary includeda meeting with Canada's ambassador in Washington Gary Doer and then a meeting with members of Congress.

"They were very receptive to what we had to say, and I think they are showing urgency around the issue,"Darchsaid about the meetings. "There is definitely an interest."

With the huge increase in transporting crude oil by rail in Canada and the U.S.over the last few years, the coalition says it's important for officials on both sides of the border to co-ordinate their actions.

The coalition saidit hopes that by Roy-Larochesharing her experience in Lac-Mgantic, and the other municipal officials sharing their concerns, U.S. legislators will be encouraged to address their safety priorities. Those include, for example, improving emergency response capacity and railway infrastructure.

Frustration over slow action

The coalition is also eager to seerule changes on the use of DOT-111 tank cars, whichoften transport hazardous materials. There have been calls to phase them out or to retrofit older cars to make them more able to withstand a crash. Some rail companies are already doing that, but theU.S. Department of Transportations Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is currently working on new requirements.

A proposal isn't expected until November and final rules wouldn't come out until January 2015, according to the Illinois mayor at the news conference.

"We're frustrated," Darch said. "We'd like the rule to come out sooner."

Seven major rail companies have voluntarily made safety upgrades in recent years, but Darch said there are 550 smaller regional lines that need to join them.

The group said it is determined to keep the pressure on all the stakeholders involved.We are in this for the long haul, said Darch.