HR 1571 Introduced – Oil Train Fire Training Grants

Last week Rep Herrera-Beutler (R,WA) introduced HR 1571, the Fire Department Proper Response and Equipment Prioritization Act. The bill would require FEMA to give high priority to grants for incident response training for crude oil and ethanol train accidents.

The bill is essentially the same as HR 4765 that was introduced in the 114^th Congress. That bill saw no action, mainly because Herrera-Beutler was not in a position to influence the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee to take up the bill. Since she is still not a member of that Committee (to which the bill was assigned for consideration) it is very unlikely that the Committee will take up the bill in this session.

The only way that this bill has a chance of making it into law during this session is for its provisions to be added to either the DHS spending or authorization (if that bill actually happens) bill. Herrera-Beutler is a member of the Appropriations Committee, so that it is possible that this could be included in the DHS spending bill. She is not a member of the House Homeland Security Committee so adding it to an authorization bill would have to come in the form of an amendment if/when the bill is considered in the House.

Bills Introduced – 03-16-17

Yesterday, with just the House in session {the Senate left for an early start to a week in their home states campaigning (er, working)}, there were 44 bills introduced. Of those, three may be of specific interest to readers of this blog:

HR 1571 To provide first responders with planning, training, and equipment capabilities for crude oil-by-rail and ethanol-by-rail derailment and incident response, and for other purposes. Rep. Herrera Beutler, Jaime [R-WA-3]

HR 1579 To require drinking water systems to assess and address their vulnerabilities to climate change, source water degradation, and intentional acts to ensure security and resiliency. Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-52] 

H Res 200 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should develop and adopt a comprehensive cybersecurity policy. Rep. Taylor, Scott [R-VA-2]

It will be interesting to see why HR 1571 was referred to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee instead of the Transportation and Infrastructure or the Homeland Security Committees.

I will be following HR 1579 only if it specifically addresses cybersecurity or cyber resiliency issues.

While House Resolutions are usually of little real importance if this one actually mentions control system security issues that should be addressed as part of a ‘comprehensive’ cybersecurity policy. If it does not, the policy will hardly be ‘comprehensive’.