[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 184 (Friday, September 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23572]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: September 23, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Notice of Public Meeting
AGENCY: Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Department (DOT) will hold a Rail Safety Summit on
September 30, 1994. The summit will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 11:45
a.m. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. The public is invited to attend
and/or submit written statements.
DATES: The summit will occur on September 30. Written statements should
be submitted before that date.
ADDRESSES: All written statements should be submitted to: Honorable
Jolene M. Molitoris, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration,
400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 8206, Washington, DC 20590. The summit
will be held at the Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue,
Washington, DC.
Background
On August 4, 1994, the Secretary of Transportation announced that
he would hold a Rail Safety Summit to focus on safety and the
prevention of railroad accidents. In a news release on that date, the
Secretary said, ``We want to raise safety vigilance in all aspects of
the railroad system, from the freight railroads that provide track for
Amtrak, to the state and local officials responsible for highway-rail
grade crossings. We will bring together the best minds in the industry
to heighten safety awareness throughout the railroad system * * *.''
DOT originally intended to invite only specific organizations and
industry leaders to the summit. However, as planning progressed, DOT
decided that members of the general public might also be interested in
attending and/or submitting written statements. Accordingly, the DOT
obtained a site for the summit that will accommodate more than those
who have been invited directly. Seating will be reserved, of course,
for those who have been invited. Remaining seats will be available to
the public on a first come, first served basis. Those considering
attending should consider that the additional seating will be limited
and that C-Span will televise the summit.
The summit is not a hearing designed to obtain advice or
recommendations on what the DOT, the Federal Railroad Administration,
or any other agency should do to improve railroad safety. Nor is it a
regulatory hearing to discuss pending rail safety regulatory proposals.
The summit is intended to be a dialogue between several of the
Department's senior officials and a diverse group of industry leaders
on selected issues that appear key to improving safety. The Secretary
is interested in learning what the industry is doing and plans to do in
the subject areas chosen for discussion. Those subjects are:
Highway-rail grade crossing and trespasser safety
Passenger equipment and emergency response training and
planning
Ways for passenger and freight railroads to achieve
success
The role of system safety planning, and
The future of railroad safety
Of course, there are many other important subjects in the area of
railroad safety (e.g., hazardous materials transportation, track
safety, and employee qualifications). Unfortunately, the time available
for the summit is quite limited. Therefore, DOT had to be very
selective in choosing topics and decided on these because they seem to
include some of the most important and current issues in the vast field
of railroad safety. For those who wish to submit written statements, we
would appreciate your focusing on the specific topics set forth above.
The summit will consist primarily of panel discussions of the
selected topics. DOT chose panel members that would represent a wide
range of views. The Secretary and senior DOT officials will participate
directly in those discussions. At the conclusion of the five panel
discussions, any remaining time will be available for general questions
directed to panel members or the DOT officials by members of the
audience. These questions must be submitted on forms that will be
available at the summit during registration.
Issued this 18th day of September, 1994.
Federico Pena,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-23572 Filed 9-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-M
