A push for rail safety from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, is getting bipartisan support at the federal level after two train derailments in Wisconsin.

Baldwin’s reforms will be included in a federal bill that would set transportation strategy and funding levels for the next five years.

But she said in an interview with The Badger Herald she worked on the reform provisions long before the Wisconsin train derailments in Alma and Watertown.

“These were issues that I’ve been working on a long time prior to the derailments because I thought that they would be helpful in terms of the safety of communities and people who live along the rail lines in Wisconsin,” Baldwin said.

The first reform aims to provide first responders with information about the hazardous materials traveling in trains that pass through their communities, Baldwin said. This would ensure that they know precisely what they are dealing with and can then bring correct equipment and carry out any necessary evacuations.

Baldwin said in a statement, currently such information is only available to first responders after the incident has already occurred. The reform requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Fusion Centers to report information about trains carrying hazardous materials to first responders beforehand, Baldwin said in the press release.

“They would know what equipment to bring, they would know how to fight a fire, they would know if the community needed to be evacuated and they would know all sorts of information that helps them do their jobs better,” Baldwin said.

A train derailed in Watertown in early November, leaking around 500 gallons of crude oil. A similar incident occurred in Alma a few days later, causing around 17,000 gallons of ethanol to leak into the Mississippi river.

Baldwin visited both sites shortly after the incidents and said while both derailments were isolated from densely populated areas, public safety risks must be accounted for at all times.

Carol Crisp, volunteer at the non-profit organization Wings Over Alma, said the accident in Alma happened far from the city, which prevented significant damage to the public. She said trains often travel at speeds of more than 60 miles an hour and would like to see them go slower for public safety.  

“All I can think of is ‘Oh God, keep them on the tracks’ as they’re going by my house,” Crisp said. “Because if they went off they would demolish us and it would be a horrible thing for all the people along the highway and railroad.”

Crisp said companies are careful about the maintenance of railroads, and it was most likely a gear failure in the train that led to the derailment. She said there is always somebody in the area making sure the tracks are tight and everything is in proper order.

The second reform Baldwin proposed encourages more transparency from the private companies that own most of the railroads and bridges. She said this would be helpful in assuring the public rail infrastructure is stable and any potential problems will be appropriately addressed. Baldwin said in the press release current railroads do not have to provide inspection reports to local officials.

“I would say my focus in this case is a lot more on safety and security for local communities that are on the rail lines,” Baldwin said. “We want to make sure that we can assure our communities that they’re safe.”