1). Recently enacted legislation may change the responsibilities of some  stakeholders. Selected Emergency Planners Reported That Responder Training and Railroads’ Information Sharing Affect Preparedness Emergency Planners Reported That Responder Training for Rail Hazardous Materials Accidents Is Useful, but Some Encounter Impediments to Participating in Training

Local emergency planners from almost all of the counties we contacted  reported that their emergency responders participated in training,  exercises, or drills (“training”) to prepare for responding to rail hazardous  materials incidents. Emergency Planners from Most Counties Reported That Information from Railroads and SERCs Is Useful for Hazardous Response Planning and Preparedness

Local emergency planners from most of the selected counties reported  that railroads and SERCs have provided them with a variety of  information for planning and preparing for hazardous materials accidents  and that this information is useful. Hazardous materials information: Local emergency planners from  most counties (22 of 24) reported having been provided information  about hazardous materials transported through their areas, including  a few that told us their SERCs provided them with information about  Bakken crude-oil shipments. Class I Railroads and Selected Class II and III Railroads Reported Supporting Preparedness for Rail Accidents Involving Hazardous Materials Class I Railroads Reported Increasing Training and Support of Emergency Responders in Recent Years

Although not required by DOT, all seven Class I railroads we surveyed  reported that they have provided training in the past 5 years to local  emergency responders related to emergency preparedness for and  response to rail accidents involving hazardous materials. DOT expects to expand the information-sharing  requirements further with proposed regulations (consistent with the FAST  Act) to include all high-hazard flammable train operations, not just trains  carrying crude oil from Bakken sources, steps that will affect its oversight  of railroads’ actions moving forward. Information Sharing Requirements for Trains Carrying Bakken Crude Oil and Other Flammable Liquids

As previously discussed, in the wake of railroad accidents involving crude  oil, DOT issued the Emergency Order in 2014 to improve information  sharing between railroads and emergency planners by requiring railroads  to provide advance notification of Bakken crude oil train movements  through states. Specifically, local emergency planners  from 17 of 21 counties reported that information about hazardous  materials shipments was useful for planning and preparing for accidents. For example, DOT  issued the Emergency Order to increase awareness of large shipments of  Bakken crude oil. However, the extent to which local emergency planners  in affected communities have received the information about these  shipments is unclear because DOT has not taken steps to understand  whether SERCs provided the information to local emergency planners,  who in turn could use the information in preparing for potential rail  accidents involving hazardous materials. Recommendation for Executive Action

To continue the agency’s efforts to improve state and local emergency  preparedness for rail accidents involving hazardous materials, we  recommend that the Secretary of Transportation: after the rulemaking is finalized, develop a process for regularly  collecting information from SERCs on the distribution of the railroad- provided hazardous-materials-shipping information to local planning  entities. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to examine: (1) the factors selected local emergency  planners report as affecting their preparedness for rail accidents involving  hazardous materials; (2) the actions that Class I and selected other  railroads report taking to support local emergency planners’ preparedness  for rail accidents involving hazardous materials; and (3) the actions that  the Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken to support state and  local emergency planners’ preparedness for rail accidents involving  hazardous materials and additional actions, if any, that DOT could take. In  addition, we interviewed officials from the Federal Railroad Administration  (FRA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  (PHMSA) within DOT; FEMA; EPA; and the National Transportation  Safety Board to inform our understanding about the roles and  responsibilities of federal, state, and local stakeholders in emergency  preparedness and response to rail accidents involving hazardous  materials. We identified the 17 SERCs to interview based on the location of the four  urban and four rural counties that had the highest volumes of hazardous  materials in each of the 5 PHMSA regions we selected.
Why GAO Did This Study

Recent rail accidents involving hazardous materials, such as crude oil, have raised questions about local emergency responders' ability to take protective actions in the aftermath of such accidents. Along with FRA, PHMSA is responsible for ensuring the safe transportation of hazardous materials by rail through issuing and enforcing railroad- and shipper-safety regulations.
GAO was asked to review efforts that enhance preparedness for hazardous materials rail accidents. This report examines: (1) the factors selected local emergency planners report affect preparedness; (2) the actions selected railroads have taken to support preparedness; and (3) the actions DOT has taken to support emergency planners.
GAO reviewed laws and regulations and surveyed (1) emergency planners representing 25 counties and 17 states with the highest volumes of hazardous materials rail shipments and (2) all seven Class I railroads and four smaller railroads selected because they operate in the counties where GAO surveyed local emergency planners.

What GAO Found

Emergency planners from most of the 25 selected counties in 17 states that GAO surveyed reported that training for responders and information about rail shipments of hazardous materials affect preparedness. Emergency planners from almost all of the selected counties reported that a majority of the emergency response personnel, such as fire fighters, who arrive first at an accident receive basic training that would enable them to take initial protective actions, including recognizing hazardous materials and calling for assistance in the event of a rail accident involving crude oil and other hazardous materials. Emergency planners from most counties reported that training related to rail hazardous materials was useful in preparing for accidents. Emergency planners reported that some factors present obstacles to responders' receiving training, such as neglecting one's professional duties to take time off for training. Emergency planners from most counties reported that railroads in their jurisdictions have provided them with information about hazardous material shipments and that this information is useful in preparing for potential accidents.
All seven of the largest railroads (called Class I railroads) and some of the four smaller railroads that GAO surveyed reported providing training and information about hazardous materials to local emergency responders and planners in recent years. The Class I railroads reported training through a variety of means, including locally delivered training exercises or off-site at industry-recognized training centers. In addition, railroads reported providing information about hazardous material shipments to state and local emergency planners in part due to a May 2014 Department of Transportation (DOT) Emergency Order requiring notification of state emergency-planning agencies about shipments of crude oil from North Dakota and Montana where the Bakken shale deposit is located. This information was intended to reach local emergency responders so that they could better prepare for rail accidents involving crude oil.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) within DOT have taken multiple actions to support emergency preparedness for rail incidents involving hazardous materials; some actions focused specifically on trains carrying Bakken crude oil. For example, PHMSA developed a web-based training curriculum on how to prepare for hazardous materials incidents, and FRA determined whether railroads provided information about Bakken crude-oil shipments to states. However, PHMSA learned that some states did not provide the information about Bakken crude oil shipments to local emergency planners, as called for in the Emergency Order. Recently enacted legislation expands FRA's oversight of railroads' actions moving forward; for example, railroads will be required to notify states of large shipments of other hazardous materials. However, FRA and PHMSA have not taken steps to understand whether the shipment information railroads are required to share with states is consistently disseminated to local emergency planners. Therefore, the extent to which DOT's information-sharing requirements have the potential to improve local preparedness for rail accidents involving hazardous materials is unclear.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that DOT develop a process for regularly collecting information from state emergency- planning agencies about their distribution of railroad-provided hazardous materials shipping information to local emergency planning entities. DOT concurred with our recommendation.