Transportation Secretary Says Hazardous Materials Are Trouble on Tracks

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said the Bush administration needs to take a tougher approach to train safety and security after 9-11 and the Graniteville disaster, but he said rerouting hazardous materials around major cities isn't the answer.

While visiting Charlotte on Tuesday, Mineta responded to questions stemming from a Feb. 13 Observer story, "Danger On Board." The story followed a wreck in Graniteville, S.C., last month that released a cloud of poisonous gas, killing nine people and injuring more than 500. Mineta said his agency, which is responsible for rail safety, and the new Department of Homeland Security need to do more to ensure that hazardous materials arrive safely and can't be used as weapons of mass destruction. "We want to see something done in that area," he said. But he wouldn't say if the administration will back any of the proposals currently being debated by Congress, such as increasing inspections and fines. Those ideas are still being studied, he said. One thing local officials say they want: More information about the risks. Fifty-one mayors wrote to Mineta last month, asking to be notified about deadly shipments through their towns. The railroads provide information on shipments to the federal government, Mineta said. But local and state emergency officials told the Observer that information isn't shared with them. The department opposes the efforts of one community, the District of Columbia, to require railroads to reroute deadly materials around the city limits. If that happens, Mineta said, "The receiving community is going to be the NIMBY -- not in my back yard."