PR Newswire
SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2014
SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Nation’s former top energy transportation safety regulator, Brigham McCown, has offered to bring both sides to the table concerning the growing debate over transporting oil by rail through California’s communities.
“It is imperative we establish an open and transparent dialog between railroads, regulatory agencies, first responders, and the general public when transporting oil by rail,” McCown said.
McCown served as the first head of the federal government’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) under U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta (D-CA).
McCown is offering to assist state, regional, and local agencies to establish constructive solutions regarding oil-by-rail transportation. “I welcome the opportunity to work with all stakeholders in order to create viable solutions for us all. Our energy transportation challenges can be solved by educating, training, and leveraging innovative technologies.”
During his tenure, McCown oversaw the safe and secure movement of over one million daily shipments of hazardous materials by air, train, truck, vessel, and pipeline constituting approximately two-thirds of all energy products used in the country daily.
McCown says that “Ensuring safety must remain our top priority, and we must ensure complete transparency between all involved.”