CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A state lawmaker proposes to require that trains have at least two crew members in Wyoming.
A bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Stan Blake, of Green River, would apply to trains on Wyoming’s nearly 2,000 miles (3,100 kilometers) of Class I railroad, all of which is owned by BNSF and Union Pacific.
Blake is a Union Pacific employee.
A similar bill failed in the Wyoming Legislature in 2019 amid concern about interference with private businesses and collective bargaining.
“My contention is this is about safety,” Blake told the Casper Star-Tribune.
Railroad unions support minimum train-crew requirements but the Association of American Railroads opposes them, arguing there’s no evidence two-person crews are safer than one-person crews.
The requirement would impose undue costs and stifle emerging automation technology, Association of American Railroads spokesman Ted Greener said in a statement.
“Freight railroads are safe and continue to get safer, due in large part to sustained private investment and the deployment of safety technology,” Greener said.
Two-person crew legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate.
The U.S. Department of Transportation in 2016 proposed mandating two-person crews. The Federal Railroad Administration rescinded the proposal in 2019, a decision unions are challenging in California, Nevada and Washington.
Wyoming’s legislative session begins Feb. 10. Bills unrelated to the state budget will require a two-thirds vote for introduction.
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