RAPID Decline : Sacramento should reverse itself on ending rail/truck spill team

Five years ago, after a freight train operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad company jumped the tracks and dumped 20,000 gallons of pesticide into the Sacramento River near Duns- muir, the state Legislature and the governor decided enough was enough. They wisely approved legislation to create a statewide hazardous-spill response team named RAPID. And, properly, they asked rail and trucking firms to pick up the tab.

The wisdom of the 1991 legislative action was evident two months ago when the RAPID experts--along with fire and other emergency personnel--played an important role after a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed and burst into flames in the Cajon Pass. RAPID, say fire officials, provided hands-on risk assessment, answering technical questions from emergency personnel. Those ranged from how best to neutralize highly reactive chemicals to when it would be safe to reopen the nearby Interstate 15, which was closed due to the danger.

When lives and property are at stake, the ability to coordinate disaster response is invaluable. But now, in a myopic and potentially dangerous move, the Legislature has decided to shut down the RAPID program, eliminating the fee schedule and letting already accumulated monies dry up. And, no surprise, the decision appears based on the ability of lobbyists for the railroad and trucking industries that pay the RAPID fees to bend ears in Sacramento.

According to the state Public Utilities Commission, the annual number of accidents involving trains ferrying hazardous cargo has nearly doubled since 1985. Incidents involving spills or leaks of toxic substances from trains and trucks have jumped by 70% over the same time.

At the least, these figures make a strong case for maintaining the program, albeit with some minor adjustments. For example the total fees for RAPID, $3 million annually, should be reduced because first-time costs for setting up the program have been paid off. About 10% of fees go to the state agency collecting them; that’s too much overhead. Legislators should also explore reducing the disproportionate burden on small truckers, who pay $250 a year more than larger firms for hazardous cargo licenses. The money goes to the RAPID program.

Sacramento moved in the right direction after the Dunsmuir nightmare. There should be a rapid response team, and the trucking and rail industries ought to fund it. With the program set to shut down in July, prompt action is required.