Ron Kind calls for railway safety during severe weather

Asks BNSF about severe weather precautions in letter

VERNON COUNTY, Wis. (WKBT) — A Wisconsin Representative is calling on a local railway Wednesday to prove they are prepared for bad weather within the state.

U.S. Representative Ron Kind sent a letter to the Chairman of BNSF Railway, asking what safety measures are in place for severe weather.

The September floods in several of our area counties caused a BNSF train to derail, leaking 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the Mississippi River.

While Kind hopes BNSF is doing what they can to keep our communities and environment safe, he says he will make sure precautions are taken.

“If  this is just becoming a dollars and cents game to them, then the next step is passing legislation that would require them to do it. There aren’t many businesses that like to be told what they have to do, but if I feel that the safety of the people back home is in jeopardy because the railroad’s not stepping up and doing the right thing then I won’t hesitate,” said Representative Kind.

In the letter, Kind asked railway officials to respond to questions within ten business days. If you would like to see a copy of the letter, you can find it here.