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GoRail brief to commissioners highlights federal rail grants and a bill targeting organized retail crime affecting freight
Summary
GoRail’s Western States director explained federal grant programs counties can pursue (grade crossing elimination, CRISI) and described CORCA, a proposed federal response to rising train and freight theft, saying it would create a federal database to help law enforcement track organized retail crime.
Nate Kaplan, Western States director for GoRail (speaker 10), briefed the commission on freight-rail policy, federal funding programs and a criminal-justice bill that rail interests want Congress to pass.
Kaplan explained that most rail policy and major funding flows from federal programs tied to the Surface Transportation reauthorization and the bipartisan infrastructure law. He described the Grade Crossing Elimination Program and CRISI (Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements) as potential funding sources counties and cities can use to improve crossings and spur rail-related infrastructure; a county can apply for those funds through state or local channels.
On criminal enforcement, Kaplan warned of rising thefts from trains and warehouses and said the bill called the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) would create a federal database to let law enforcement share incidents and spot patterns. "Billions of dollars of goods are stolen every year since 2022," he said, and he described the bill as bipartisan with broad sponsorship in the House. Kaplan encouraged the commission to consider drafting a letter or resolution in support of reauthorizing surface-transportation programs and related rail grants.
