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Railroad Engrs ltr, hazard frei Locomotive Engineers otherhood of Iowa State Legislative Board 4608 Crestmoor Drive Des Moines, iA 50310-3792 Telephone & Fax (515)251-6378 Charles E, Hintz Chairman An Open Letter to all Residents and Public Officials in Iowa Recently, railroads in the United States have begun to implement the operation of Remote Controlled Locomotives. There are two Class one railroads in Iowa that have adopted this technology. The Federal Railroad Administration granted permission to railroads to begin "pilot projects" with remote control Locomotives. In normal circumstances, the Federal Railroad Administration begins an extensive role-making process when something as new as this comes around. In this case, they declined to begin mlemaking, and simply offered a set of loose 'guidelines' to the nation's railroads. The railroads took this opportunity to run with the ball and began to implement remote control operations nationwide. They have since released information stating that remote control is safer than having a federally certified locomotive engineer in the cab of the locomotive, yet we believe nothing is further from the/ruth. Since the inception of rail transportatipn, locomotive cabs have always been manned by a locomotive engineer. In recent years, the locomotive engineer has become the most heavily regulated railroad employee and one of the most regulated workers in the United States. A locomotive engineer in training must have several years of railroad experience, and undergo a several month training process before being given his Federal certificate. Under the governments' 'suggested guidelines', a railroad employee with only a few months experience can be awarded their remote control operator certificate after only a two week training process in handling a locomotive potentially hauling thousands of tons of freight and hazardous materials, including liquefied petroleum gas, anhydrous ammonia, and hundreds of other dangerous carloads. These operations are taking place now, through neighborhoods, by schools, near hospitals, churches, and through downtown areas. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the AFL-CIO, several other labor organizations, and numerous communities throughout the United States, have asked the Federal Railroad Administration to enter into the rule-making process. The Federal Railroad Administration declined to do so and left their 'suggestions' in place. Could something as drastic as remote controlled airplanes be instituted without rules and regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration? We don't believe so. The enclosed information is being made available for yom' review and education. I have included contact information for myself, as well as some elected representatives. Please contact me for further information, or contact your elected representatives if you would like to see remote control regulated or stopped. Do not let you, your loved ones, or your commurdty become a victim of a potentially critical situation. ®~ Printed in U.S.A. Serving Since 1863 Contact Information Regarding Remote Control Locomotive Safety Charles E. Hintz - Chairman Iowa State Legislative Board Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers 4608 Crestrnoor Drive Des Moines, IA 50310-3792 Phone and Fax: (515) 251-6378 Janet Schultz - S/T Iowa State Legislative Board Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers 1009 Hancock Drive Boone, Iowa 50036-5326 (515) 433-1555 Honorable Tom Vilsack - Governor Honorable Sally Pederson - Lt. Gov. Office of the Governor State Capitol Des Moines, IA 50319 Phone:(515) 281-5211 Fax:(515) 281-6611 Senator Tom Harkin 731 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3254 Senator Chuck Grassley 135 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3744 Congressman Jim Nussle Iowa- 1st District 303 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20515-1502 (202) 225-2911 Congressman Jim Leach Iowa - 2~ District 2186 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-6576 Congressman Leonard Boswell Iowa - 3~ District 1427 Longworth Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3806 Congressman Tom Latharn Iowa - 4t~ District 440 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-5476 Congressman Steve King Iowa - 5~ District 1432 Longworth Office Bldg. Washington D.C. 20515 (202) 225-4426 Iowa Statehouse Senate Switchboard (515) 281-3371 Iowa Statehouse House Switchboard (515) 281-3221 Remote Control Accident - Baton Rouge, LA LET YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES KNOW THAT YOU ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL DANGERS ASSOCATED WITH REMOTE CONTROLLED TRAIN OPERATIONS THAT ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED IN AND NEAR YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS. TELL THEM YOU WANT TRAINS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CONTROLLED BY TltE MOST FULLY TRAINED) QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED RAILROAD OPERATING CRAFT EMPLOYEE! FOR SAFETY'S SAKE! Coming Soon To A Neighborhood Near You! OK, I'm Concerned, But What Can I Do About It? You Can Contact Your City, County, State and National Elected Representatives. What Should They Do? Many communities are addressing this serious public safety issue by passing resolutions that limit or ban the use of Remote Control Locomotive Technology within their city or county limits. These communities are also urging the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to; · Conduct a comprehensive and thorough review of the safety of remote control locomotives now in use. · Develop comprehensive regulations governing the use of remote control locomotives. Who Is My Representative? Find Your Representatives By Visiting: http://www.house.gov or http://www, senate.gov U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 For More Information Contact: John Bentley (216) 241-2630 ext. 248 E-mail: bentley~ble.org Or Visit: http://www.ble.org/remotecontrol and http://www.remOtein fo.org BLE is Affiliated with AFL-CIO OBrotherhood j3f I Locomotive Engineers PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY UNMANNED LOCOMOTIVES A DANGER TO PUBLIC SAFETY Remote Control Accident - Hinkle, Oregon The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers believes and supports the position that thiS nation's railroads could avoid many accidents, safety hazards and operating inefficiencies by continuing to put control of all locomotives in the hands of ~h~ most highly trained, skilled and experienced operating crag employee in the rail industry. Further, this nation's railroads have not adequately responded to BLE's many safety concerns, including those associated with remote control. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Demand Safe Train Operations... ..And You ShouM Demand Safe Train Operations As Well ! The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers is warning communities across the U.S. of the potential dangers associated with Remote Controlled Train Operations. Locomotives are being operated without fully trained, qualified and experienced Locomotive Engineers on board and are being controlled from a remote location by a person who wears a remote control device strapped around their waist. The safety of this device is not proven! Despite a 2-14~2001 Federal Railroad Administration Safety Advisory that states, "FRA has limited data on which to base an proceed prudently," the railroads have chosen an irresponsible plan to implement remote control operations at rail yards around the country, and have even tried to expand these operations to the main track. UP, BNSF, CONRAIL, CSX, KCS, AND NS are currently implementing Remote Control Operations (RCO) at many of their major switching terminals across the country. Railroads are major transporters of nuclear waste, hazardous materials and chemical,'. These deadly materials will soon be handled by Remote Control in a neighborhood near you! Since implementing this new program many of these railroads have experienced numerous accidents. EVERY 90 MINUTES THERE IS A TRAIN ACCIDENT SOMEWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY .... APPROXIMATELY EVERY TWO WEEKS A TRAIN LOADED WITH HAZARDOUS MATERIALS GOES OFF THE TRACKS SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S. RESULTING IN A SPILL AND EVACUATION OF RESIDENTS LIVING NEARBY ! Train Derailment - North Little Rock, AR Remote Control Accident Hinkle, Oregon ARE YOUR CHILDREN AND NEIGHBORHOODS SAFE ? In spite of u.s. Department of Transportation's warnings about potential terrorist attacks on railroads, this nation's largest railroads are moving ahead with plans to remove skilled, fully trained and qualified Engineers from some trains. While the airline industry is increasing security by placing trained professionals in airports and on airplanes, this nation's railroads are taking Engineers off some trains and mrming those locomotives by remote control. Those locomotives have no one in the operating compartment and have no safety system installed to replace the eyes, ears and experience of a Locomotive Engineer. DON'T WAIT UNTIL A DEADLY ACCIDENT HAPPENS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ... TAKE ACTION CALL OR WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS TODAY !