SJR 27 Summary

• Urges the U.S. Department of Transportation to expedite rail safety reforms and safeguard communities from crude oil rail accidents, prioritizing safety over cost-effectiveness.

• Requests implementation of voluntary safety practices announced February 21, 2014, including safety technology, track inspections, lower operating speeds, and improved emergency response planning.

• Calls for partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation and Canadian Transportation Agency to adopt stricter tank car design standards and retrofit or phase out non-compliant cars.

• Notes crude oil rail transport into California increased 135-fold from 2009 to 2013, with forecasts showing nearly 27 percent of California's refined crude oil arriving by rail by 2016, up from 1 percent currently.

• Highlights recent rail accidents including a 2013 Lac-Mégantic derailment that killed 47 people and spilled 1.5 million gallons of crude oil, and a 2014 Lynchburg, Virginia accident.