Community Protection and Preparedness Act of 2017

Community Protection and Preparedness Act of 2017

This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT), annually, to impose a $1,500 fee for each DOT-111 specification railroad tank car used to transport Class 3 flammable liquids during the previous fiscal year that did not meet DOT-117, DOT-117P, or DOT-117R specifications at the time it was used. Such fee shall be paid by each person who causes such liquids to be transported by such car in commerce and not by the railroad carrier that transports such liquids.

Collected fees shall be deposited into a Rail Account established within the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and shall be available only for:

• the payment of removal and remediation costs and other costs, expenses, claims, and damages related to an accident or incident involving the transportation of Class 3 flammable liquids by rail; and
• DOT grants to states and Indian tribes to develop emergency plans and to train regional hazardous material emergency response teams and public employees responding to such an accident or incident.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration shall issue a final rule relating to the notice of proposed rulemaking issued on July 29, 2016, "Hazardous Materials: Oil Spill Response Plans and Information Sharing for High-Hazard Flammable Trains."

Necessary amounts are authorized for the Federal Railroad Administration to hire at least two additional track safety specialists per region.

DOT shall:

• assess the adequacy of railroad track inspections, training provided to railroad track inspectors and related personnel, railroad compliance with federal track safety regulations, and federal oversight of railroad track safety; and
• evaluate the leading causes of track defects, particularly along train routes traversed by passengers and hazardous materials.