Added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1662, Sec. 11.
The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this article is to protect the health and safety of the public and to improve the safety of transporting hazardous materials by rail.
Article 7.5 - Hazardous Materials Transportation by Rail
California Public Utilities Code — §§ 7671-7673
Sections (4)
Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 644, Sec. 32. Effective January 1, 2005.
For purposes of this article, “hazardous material” means either of the following:
(a)A hazardous material, as defined in Section 171.8 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(b)A hazardous material, as defined in Section 25501 of the Health and Safety Code.
Added by Stats. 1990, Ch. 1662, Sec. 11.
Any railroad corporation which is involved in an incident resulting in a release, or threatened release, of a hazardous material shall immediately report the type and extent of the release or threatened release in the manner specified in Section 25507 of the Health and Safety Code.
Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 352, Sec. 505. (AB 1317) Effective September 26, 2013. Operative July 1, 2013, by Sec. 543 of Ch. 352.
Each railroad corporation which transports hazardous materials in the state shall do all of the following:
(a)Provide a system map of the state to the Office of Emergency Services and to the Public Utilities Commission, showing practical groupings of mileposts on the system and showing mileposts of stations, terminals, junction points, road crossings, and the locations of natural gas and liquid pipelines in railroad rights-of-way.
(b)Annually submit to the Office of Emergency Services a copy of a publication which identifies emergency handling guidelines for the surface transportation of hazardous materials, except that if the railroad
corporation is classified as a class I carrier by the Interstate Commerce Commission pursuant to Subpart A of Part 1201 of Subchapter C of Chapter X of the Code of Federal Regulations, the railroad corporation shall annually submit to the Office of Emergency Services 50 copies of this publication which the agency shall make available to the Public Utilities Commission and local administering agencies and to other response agencies. These guidelines shall not be considered comprehensive instructions for the handling of any specific incident.
(c)If there is a train incident resulting in a release or an overturned railcar or an impact which threatens a release of a hazardous material, provide the emergency response agency with all of the following information:
(1)A list of each car in
the train and the order of the cars.
(2)The contents of each car, if loaded, in the train.
(3)Identification of the cars and contents in the train which are involved in the incident, including, but not limited to, those cars which have derailed.
(4)Emergency handling procedures for each hazardous material transported in or on the involved cars of the train.