McGovern pushes for local say in propane sites
(UPDATED May 5 at 8:20 a.m.) U.S. Rep. James McGovern has filed a bill that would give states and local communities the ability to regulate propane gas facilities that are operated by rail carriers, his office announced Monday.
The filing follows plans by the Grafton and Upton Railroad to build a 320,000-gallon storage and transloading facility in North Grafton and last year’s decision by the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) that favored the railroad’s plans.
Fearing that the propane facility could pose a safety threat to the surrounding North Grafton neighborhood and nearby North Grafton Elementary School, officials in Grafton appealed that decision in the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. McGovern has filed a brief in support of that appeal.
In a recent WBJ article, the railroad’s owner, Jon Delli Priscoli, says the nearly complete facility is safe. To ensure that, he said he hired an expert with the National Fire Protection Association who authored safety regulations for liquefied petroleum storage and use. Delli Priscoli believes the facility meets or exceeds national safety standards.
“Communities ought to have a say in whether or not a hazardous LPG facility is sited in their backyard,” McGovern said in a statement announcing the filing of the bill, called the Safe Communities Act of 2015. “I am deeply troubled that no other federal, state, or local agency, besides the Surface Transportation Board (STB), has jurisdiction over a project that could potentially threaten the health and safety of hundreds of people, including hundreds of children.”
“This issue is not new to Congress,” the Worcester Democrat added. “The Safe Communities Act of 2015 is similar to a provision included in a bipartisan 2008 passenger rail bill that addressed health and safety concerns at railroad-owned and operated solid waste transfer facilities.”
Delli Priscoli, in an emailed response later Monday, said: “It is disappointing that Rep. McGovern would act to jeopardize the reliable supply of a safe, clean domestic energy source now in great demand by the people and businesses in his district, currently being offloaded in much more densely populated Worcester and Westborough.
“Cherry picking a vital commodity for special consideration sets a dangerous precedent that violates the spirit of the (Interstate Commerce Commission Termination) Act (of 1995) and hinders economic growth in an area that sorely needs it," he added.
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