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Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
6/17/2011
Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
Sen. Hutchison calls for greater rail security resources

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During a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) called for a greater emphasis on rail security, and pressed Transportation Security Administrator John Pistole to determine whether enough resources are available to secure U.S. rail systems.
“We all know that rail transportation has not been in the forefront of our transportation security efforts,” Hutchison said in a prepared statement. “Aviation certainly has been dominant, and I do think that we need to see what more we can do with the resources we have.”
After the recent killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, U.S. intelligence officials obtained information that indicated Al Qaeda had considered terrorist attacks on U.S. rail systems.
During the hearing, Hutchison inquired about the level of cooperation between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Transportation Security Administration, as well as whether the Federal Railroad Administration’s oversight of railroad safety should be expanded to include security.
Pistole responded by pledging to find more efficient and cost-effective ways to improve rail security.
“We all know that rail transportation has not been in the forefront of our transportation security efforts,” Hutchison said in a prepared statement. “Aviation certainly has been dominant, and I do think that we need to see what more we can do with the resources we have.”
After the recent killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, U.S. intelligence officials obtained information that indicated Al Qaeda had considered terrorist attacks on U.S. rail systems.
During the hearing, Hutchison inquired about the level of cooperation between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Transportation Security Administration, as well as whether the Federal Railroad Administration’s oversight of railroad safety should be expanded to include security.
Pistole responded by pledging to find more efficient and cost-effective ways to improve rail security.