PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 10, 2024
Maine lawmakers soon will vote on a bill that would require freight railroad companies to better inform state officials about hazardous materials that they are transporting through the state. The bill’s intent is to expand the types of information railroads are required to provide to the state so that emergency management and public safety agencies can better prepare for potential rail disasters. But the bill, L.D. 1937, has moved away from its original aim, which was to allow members of the public to access information about what hazardous materials are moving through their backyards.