As information surfaces about the transportation of hazardous radioactive materials on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) from the Brookhaven National Laboratory to a site in Utah, more questions arise about how the whole situation was, and is currently being, handled. The fact that a public authority failed to notify the communities that the materials were being shipped through our area is cause for major concern to me and my fellow Long Islanders.

Every community and resident on Long Island was put at risk by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Brookhaven National Lab, LIRR/MTA and NYC Office of Emergency Management, organizations which failed to properly include local officials and communities in the decision making and notification processes. How can you ship hazardous material without properly notifying the communities along the route?

At minimum, emergency response units located along the route, which are properly trained and equipped to handle an accident if one was to occur, should be notified when there is going to be a shipment sent. Additionally, such shipments should be addressed with local officials and emergency response leaders prior to any hazardous shipments being made.

As such, I join my Assembly colleagues Tom Alfano and Tom McKevitt in sponsoring a local governmental notification bill that will assist local governments by requiring prior notification of the transportation of hazardous materials through their communities. This will allow them to take every precautionary measure to ensure the safe transport of such material.

This is not a situation that should be taken lightly; the lives of many Long Island residents are impacted by rail routes. I hope that the enactment of my bill will help prevent such incidents from reoccurring as we take greater measures to protect our communities by strengthening the notification process.

Rob Walker

Assemblyman, 15th A.D.