releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=23f9a942-e87e-48f1-8d08-1c7c242fd64e
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=23f9a942-e87e-48f1-8d08-1c7c242fd64e | Heitkamp: Appropriations Bill Includes $2 Million for Rail Incident First Responder Training | 2014-06-27 | 2014 | 2014-06 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced that significant funding to train first responders for incidents involving hazardous materials transported by rail has been included in a Senate appropriations bill. The $2 million specifically dedicated for this training was included by the Senate Appropriations Committee in the Department of Homeland Securitys Fiscal Year 2015 appropriations, which was approved in the Appropriations Committee on Thursday. The funding is particularly significant as Heitkamp has made a strong push over the last several months to increase funds to help train and support first responders as they handle new hazards, such as more oil on the rails. Since the December 30 derailment of a train carrying crude oil near Casselton and the subsequent explosion, Heitkamp has worked to raise awareness about the challenges facing first responders by repeatedly pressing her colleagues and the Administration about the need to better prioritize first responder preparedness and dedicate more resources. The approval of more funds comes the day after Heitkamp introduced legislation, which she unveiled last Friday in North Dakota, to make sure first responders in communities near railroad tracks get quality training and have access to the appropriate resources and effective communications. Working closely with North Dakota first responders, I reinforced that all of us must recognize the duty we have to making sure our first responders are prepared for incidents like we saw in Casselton. Earlier this year, I held a Senate hearing about the importance of better training first responders for new hazards. And just a day after I introduced a plan to support first responders, the Appropriations Committee recognized the major need for significant funding, said Heitkamp. This action shows that our persistent efforts to push for more support for first responders are resonating. Ill continue to work in the Senate and with the Administration to give first responders the resources they deserve. Because of the energy boom in North Dakota and the heavy reliance on rail as a mode of transportation, small communities are seeing up to nine trains come through per day with more than 100 linked crude oil cars per train. Heitkamps Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Act, would establish a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) panel focused on railroad incident first responders. The committee would be tasked with bringing together all the relevant federal agencies, emergency responders, technical experts and the private sector for a review of training, resources, best practices and unmet needs related to emergency responders to railroad hazmat incidents. Heitkamp believes this issue needs heightened attention, as the number of railcars carrying crude oil on major freightrailroads inthe U.S. has grown by more than 6,000 percent between 2008 and 2013, according to the American Association of Railroads. For a one-page summary of the bill, click here. For reactions on the bill from first responders in Fargo, Casselton, Dickinson, Minot, and Williston click here. In March,Heitkamp brought Casselton Fire Chief Tim McLean to testify at a Senate hearing she chaired about how to better train our emergency responders for emerging threats and hazards. McLean discussed his teams experience responding admirably to the December train derailment and subsequent explosion. McLean also shared with Heitkamp and her colleagues what he thinks needs to be done to better prepare our brave emergency responders. Since the Casselton derailment, Heitkamp has worked tirelessly to understand what happened, and push for improvements to rail safety. She has worked closely with the Department of Transportation, including hosting Secretary Anthony Foxx in North Dakota, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, as well as other federal, state, and local officials, and industry. Heitkamp has called for many changes to improve rail safety, including updated standards for tanker cars carrying crude oil, increased safety requirements for shipping routes,and enhanced track inspection standards for the rail lines carrying crude oil. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |