In a letter to members, Wyoming State Legislative Director April Ford asked members in her state to reach out to state legislators and urge them to support train-length legislation. The text of her message is below:
“Legislators in Wyoming will be hearing a bill in the House Corporations Committee on Friday, February 3, to help keep Wyoming citizens safer and freight rail operations running more efficiently. HB 204 requires a train length to not exceed 8,500 feet in the state for the public safety.
“Railroads are running longer freight trains than ever before, which means we are seeing more issues and blocked crossings than ever before. These longer trains are preventing emergency vehicles from responding to emergencies in a timely manner. Minutes waiting at a blocked crossing can be critical to people who need emergency services. These longer trains are also causing issues on the tracks, which impacts Wyoming revenue.
“It can’t be stressed enough that emails to elected officials work; the more they hear from members here in Wyoming (like you), the harder it is for them to say no. Don’t let inaction thwart this opportunity to make train length the law in Wyoming.”
