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House adopts rail-safety bill after tense debate over fees, oversight and railroad input
Summary
The Colorado House passed Senate Bill 162, a package of rail-safety measures that creates/clarifies the Office of Rail Safetyauthority, notification requirements and a railroad fee; members debated stakeholder consultation, data reporting, preventative maintenance plans and the commission—9s liability protections before final passage.
The Colorado House passed Senate Bill 162 on a voice vote after more than an hour of debate over how the state should regulate rail safety and charge fees to railroads.
The bill builds on work lawmakers approved last year with House Bill 1030 to expand the Office of Rail Safety—s role, tighten incident reporting and authorize a fee to fund the office—s work, sponsors said. Representative Mabry, a sponsor in the chamber, said the measure is intended to "gather and analyze rail safety data" and to require railroads to notify the state's watch center and the Office of Rail Safety when an emergency occurs.
The debate focused on how the state should write rules and set fees without unduly harming rail carriers, and whether the bill…
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