The D.C. Council will vote today on a homeland security bill that would create a commission to help identify risks and vulnerabilities in the nation’s capital, penalize companies that spill hazardous materials and establish emergency plans with private businesses.
The bill puts into law initiatives that the District is already doing and adds new measures to prevent and respond to a terrorist attack or emergency.
“We’re recognizing in the law that we have to be prepared,” said council member Phil Mendelson, who introduced the bill with outgoing council member Kathy Patterson. The D.C. Council’s judiciary committee had been working on the bill for about two years, and submitted it to the full council on Monday.
The bill addresses the transportation of hazardous materials into the District by penalizing companies that spill hazardous materials. Last year, the council banned rail cars from carrying hazardous chemicals within the District. CSX Transportation and the federal government opposed the ban in a lawsuit and a federal judge placed the ban on hold while the lawsuit is resolved.
The homeland security bill would make liable anyone responsible for a hazardous material spill. It also requires transportation companies to report the contents of containers one day before the cargo travels through the District. Containers must be loaded inside secured facilities and equipped with a GPS trackingsystem and sensors that can detect intruders and radioactive material.
The bill would also establish a commission composed of seven residents who are experts in national security, transportation, risk assessment and the law.
The bill originally required private entities to design plans for emergencies and terrorist attacks and share them with the D.C. government, but that provision was changed to allow businesses to voluntarily submit plans.
