Brothers and Sisters,

All,

On December 31, 2002, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission adopted a resolution denying the petition of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers to regulate remote control based on FRA 2001-01 recommendations, (a.k.a. CR 102 process. In addition, the resolution ordered that a CR 101 process begin to determine if remote control operations should and/or could be regulated in Washington State using the FRA 2001-01 as a framework for the CR 101 process.

For everyone's information, a CR 101 process at the State level is similar to an RSAC process at the Federal level, with one interesting difference. The CR 101 process is subject to the open meeting's act under State law. Thus, beginning in the near future, there will be open meetings with railroads management, State and Federal regulators, interested community groups, the press, railroad labor, and all interested labor organizations in Washington State to evaluate remote control safety and determine the need for regulation of remote control operation. The CR 101 process requires a conclusion be forwarded to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission for final adjudication. The WUTC has the authority to impose the CR 101 recommendations or deny the CR 101 recommendations.

Editorial comment: While it would have been great to immediately impose regulations on remote control operation in Washington, this CR 101 process has the ability to accomplish that in time. The process is estimated to take 6 months.

The FRA is arguing the state does not have the authority to regulate remote control, though the State is not convinced of the FRA position legally. The railroads have not yet been notified of this CR 101 process, therefore I do not know their reaction.

I will provide more information as it becomes available.

Fraternally,

Mark K. Ricci, Ph.D., Chairman
WSLB-BLE

Brothers and Sisters,

If anyone has information for the Hearings on remote control in Washington, address that information to: 

Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission 
PO Box 47250 
1300 S. Evergreen Park Drive SW 
Olympia, WA 98504-7250 

Remember to put the Docket Number on all correspondence: