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TagsStender, Scutari push for safer technologies
Two Union County legislators Monday unveiled legislation urging the state, local governments, water utilities and chemical companies to use safer technologies to mitigate risks of terrorist attacks or the unintended release of hazardous substances.
Assemblywoman Linda Stender and Sen. Nicholas Scutari said in Scotch Plains that hazardous substances often travel in vulnerable, conspicuously marked rail cars. Stender described that practice as arguably one of the largest threats to public safety.
Chemicals such as chlorine are purchased by governments and utilities for water purification.
"Transporting dangerous chemicals by rail when alternate solutions exist is a catastrophe waiting to happen," said Stender, a Democrat. "Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there has been growing concern regarding the transport of chemicals by rail and the security of our rail cars. If a graffiti artist can get to a railcar carrying toxic chemicals, what is to stop a terrorist from doing much worse as the railcar travels past our homes, schools and hospitals?"Linden in Union County is a site of heavy rail freight use.
Stender's measure, ACR-239, is sponsored by Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Jerry Green (D-Union) and Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex). Scutari, also a Democrat, plans to introduce a Senate version.
Stender and Scutari said an example of safer technology would be using bleach that is made from only salt, water and electricity to disinfect and treat water. The bleach can be purchased by water utilities at no additional cost over bleach that is made using a method that relies on the dangerous transport of chlorine by railcar.
More than 250 attacks on railcars carrying hazardous chemicals occurred between 1995 and 2005 worldwide, and the U. S. Naval Laboratory estimates that a single chlorine railcar incident could cause more than 100,000 deaths or serious injuries.
"This measure will push water utilities to better protect New Jersey's neighborhoods, residents, rail transport and commerce," Scutari said. "Safe substitutes for dangerous chemicals can make a big difference in helping to secure our state. In this case, many water utilities already have switched to a chlorine substitute so we want to include governments, more water utilities and chemical companies in this initiative. We need to insure the continued safety of our rail arteries and of the areas surrounding them. Ultimately, this resolution will encourage just that."
"Just last month we saw a train loaded with thousands of gallons of highly flammable ethanol derailed in Illinois," Stender said. "That accident killed a person, injured several others and caused hundreds of families to evacuate their homes. As they travel by rail, chemicals have the real potential to become mobile weapons that could kill or seriously injure hundreds, if not thousands, of New Jersey residents."
Stender said countries in Europe and Asia have already adopted safer processes and products. She also said that increased investment in safer facilities deployed and funded by the private sector would be the first major step in ending the transport of toxic chemicals by rail, creating safer communities nationwide and doing so at no cost to taxpayers or governments.
"We need to raise awareness of the dangers associated with shipping chemicals by rail and do all that we can to encourage the use of safer technologies at chemical sites and water utilities," Stender said. "With the growing availability of low cost alternatives, we can put a priority on community safety as well as cost when making purchase decisions."
– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM