Outgoing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday signed into law a bill regulating hazardous-material trains in the state, one of more than 120 bills he approved on his final morning in office.
Mikie Sherrill was sworn into office as the state’s new governor later in the day.
The bill passed by large margins last month in the state Assembly and Senate. It requires two-person crews for trains carrying hazardous materials, limits their length to 8,500 feet, and requires wayside detection devices, among other provisions.
The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division hailed the signing, with Jared Cassity, SMART-TD’s national safety and legislative director, saying in a release that it is “a historic step forward for rail safety.”
“By institutionalizing modern safety practices and empowering workers and communities with stronger protections, this legislation will save lives and set a powerful example for other states to follow,” he added.
A spokesman for the Association of American Railroads said the organization is “reviewing the legislation to fully understand its implications, as the bill is expansive and touches on a wide range of complex issues. As a general matter, rail policy works best when it is set at the federal level, where national uniformity helps ensure safe, efficient, and fluid operations across an interstate rail network that serves the entire economy.”
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