PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Create a federal task force led by the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA, the Department of Transportation, and other agencies, to finish a nationwide risk study of terrorist attacks on railroads within 6 months of August 3, 2007. The study must explain how it will be done and who will help. It must find and evaluate key railroad places (like tunnels in high-threat cities), list risks to those places and to moving hazardous materials, assess threats to passengers, cargo, communications, and operations, review employee training and emergency plans, look at public and private recovery plans after a big attack, and report what actions are already being taken and how well they work. Using that study, the Secretary must create and start a “National Strategy for Railroad Transportation Security” within 9 months of August 3, 2007. The strategy must set priorities, actions, and schedules to protect tunnels, bridges, yards, info systems, and other high-risk railroad areas; deploy people and gear to detect explosives and dangerous chemical, biological, or radioactive threats; train employees; run public outreach; give extra support at high threat levels; keep freight and passengers moving after attacks (including rerouting); coordinate public and private security efforts; study testing, design, and searches; and estimate costs and funding. The plan must describe who does what across federal, state, local, tribal, and private groups, provide ways to share information and clearances, and set a research timeline. The Secretary must consult railroad owners, employee groups, emergency responders, public safety officials, and others. A report with the study, the strategy, and a cost estimate is due to Congress within 1 year of August 3, 2007 and may be classified or redacted. The assessment and strategy must be updated yearly. Five million dollars ($5,000,000) was made available for fiscal year 2008 to carry this out.

Title 6, §1161

Domestic Security, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Risk assessment

The Secretary shall establish a Federal task force, including the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies within the Department, the Department of Transportation, and other appropriate Federal agencies, to complete, within 6 months of August 3, 2007, a nationwide risk assessment of a terrorist attack on railroad carriers. The assessment shall include—

(1)a methodology for conducting the risk assessment, including timelines, that addresses how the Department will work with the entities described in subsection (c) and make use of existing Federal expertise within the Department, the Department of Transportation, and other appropriate agencies;

(2)identification and evaluation of critical assets and infrastructure, including tunnels used by railroad carriers in high-threat urban areas;

(3)identification of risks to those assets and infrastructure;

(4)identification of risks that are specific to the transportation of hazardous materials via railroad;

(5)identification of risks to passenger and cargo security, transportation infrastructure protection systems, operations, communications systems, and any other area identified by the assessment;

(6)an assessment of employee training and emergency response planning;

(7)an assessment of public and private operational recovery plans, taking into account the plans for the maritime sector required under section 70103 of title 46, to expedite, to the maximum extent practicable, the return of an adversely affected railroad transportation system or facility to its normal performance level after a major terrorist attack or other security event on that system or facility; and

(8)an account of actions taken or planned by both public and private entities to address identified railroad security issues and an assessment of the effective integration of such actions.

(b)National Strategy

(1)Requirement

Not later than 9 months after August 3, 2007, and based upon the assessment conducted under subsection (a), the Secretary, consistent with and as required by section 114(t) of title 49, shall develop and implement the modal plan for railroad transportation, entitled the “National Strategy for Railroad Transportation Security”.

(2)Contents

The modal plan shall include prioritized goals, actions, objectives, policies, mechanisms, and schedules for, at a minimum—

(A)improving the security of railroad tunnels, railroad bridges, railroad switching and car storage areas, other railroad infrastructure and facilities, information systems, and other areas identified by the Secretary as posing significant railroad-related risks to public safety and the movement of interstate commerce, taking into account the impact that any proposed security measure might have on the provision of railroad service or on operations served or otherwise affected by railroad service;

(B)deploying equipment and personnel to detect security threats, including those posed by explosives and hazardous chemical, biological, and radioactive substances, and any appropriate countermeasures;

(C)consistent with section 1167 of this title, training railroad employees in terrorism prevention, preparedness, passenger evacuation, and response activities;

(D)conducting public outreach campaigns for railroads regarding security, including educational initiatives designed to inform the public on how to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a terrorist attack on railroad transportation;

(E)providing additional railroad security support for railroads at high or severe threat levels of alert;

(F)ensuring, in coordination with freight and intercity and commuter passenger railroads, the continued movement of freight and passengers in the event of an attack affecting the railroad system, including the possibility of rerouting traffic due to the loss of critical infrastructure, such as a bridge, tunnel, yard, or station;

(G)coordinating existing and planned railroad security initiatives undertaken by the public and private sectors;

(H)assessing—

(i)the usefulness of covert testing of railroad security systems;

(ii)the ability to integrate security into infrastructure design; and

(iii)the implementation of random searches of passengers and baggage; and

(I)identifying the immediate and long-term costs of measures that may be required to address those risks and public and private sector sources to fund such measures.

(3)Responsibilities

The Secretary shall include in the modal plan a description of the roles, responsibilities, and authorities of Federal, State, and local agencies, government-sponsored entities, tribal governments, and appropriate stakeholders described in subsection (c). The plan shall also include—

(A)the identification of, and a plan to address, gaps and unnecessary overlaps in the roles, responsibilities, and authorities described in this paragraph;

(B)a methodology for how the Department will work with the entities described in subsection (c), and make use of existing Federal expertise within the Department, the Department of Transportation, and other appropriate agencies;

(C)a process for facilitating security clearances for the purpose of intelligence and information sharing with the entities described in subsection (c), as appropriate;

(D)a strategy and timeline, coordinated with the research and development program established under section 1168 of this title, for the Department, the Department of Transportation, other appropriate Federal agencies and private entities to research and develop new technologies for securing railroad systems; and

(E)a process for coordinating existing or future security strategies and plans for railroad transportation, including the National Infrastructure Protection Plan required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive–7; Executive Order No. 13416: “Strengthening Surface Transportation Security” dated December 5, 2006; the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department and the Department of Transportation on Roles and Responsibilities dated September 28, 2004, and any and all subsequent annexes to this Memorandum of Understanding, and any other relevant agreements between the two Departments.

(c)Consultation with stakeholders

In developing the National Strategy required under this section, the Secretary shall consult with railroad management, nonprofit employee organizations representing railroad employees, owners or lessors of railroad cars used to transport hazardous materials, emergency responders, offerors of security-sensitive materials, public safety officials, and other relevant parties.

(d)Adequacy of existing plans and strategies

In developing the risk assessment and National Strategy required under this section, the Secretary shall utilize relevant existing plans, strategies, and risk assessments developed by the Department or other Federal agencies, including those developed or implemented pursuant to section 114(t) 1 of title 49 or Homeland Security Presidential Directive–7, and, as appropriate, assessments developed by other public and private stakeholders.

(e)Report

(1)Contents

Not later than 1 year after August 3, 2007, the Secretary shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a report containing—

(A)the assessment and the National Strategy required by this section; and

(B)an estimate of the cost to implement the National Strategy.

(2)Format

The Secretary may submit the report in both classified and redacted formats if the Secretary determines that such action is appropriate or necessary.

(f)Annual updates

Consistent with the requirements of section 114(t) 1 of title 49, the Secretary shall update the assessment and National Strategy each year and transmit a report, which may be submitted in both classified and redacted formats, to the appropriate congressional committees containing the updated assessment and recommendations.

(g)Funding

Out of funds appropriated pursuant to section 114(w) 1 of title 49, there shall be made available to the Secretary to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 114(t) of title 49, referred to in subsecs. (b)(1), (d), and (f), was redesignated section 114(s) of title 49 by Pub. L. 110–161, div. E, title V, § 568(a), Dec. 26, 2007, 121 Stat. 2092. Executive Order No. 13416, referred to in subsec. (b)(3)(E), is set out as a note under section 1101 of this title. section 114(w) of title 49, referred to in subsec. (g), was redesignated section 114(v) of title 49 by Pub. L. 115–254, div. K, § 1904(b)(1)(I), Oct. 5, 2018, 132 Stat. 3545.

§1161 Railroad Transportation Security Risk Assessment and National Strategy

Summary

Title 6, §1161

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Citations & Metadata