(The following editorial was posted on the San Antonio Express-News website on November 12.)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The “partnership” between the Federal Railroad Administration and the industry it regulates is too close for comfort.
That is clear from a New York Times report that comes on the heels of several San Antonio train derailments this year, including one in June that claimed three lives and another Wednesday that resulted in the death of one man.
The Times documented the close relationship between FRA boss Betty Monro and the top lobbyist for Union Pacific. The regulator and the lobbyist have vacationed together several times in recent years, the newspaper reported.
Such a cozy relationship is of deep concern for San Antonians, who know all too well the potential dangers of lax safety enforcement.
An agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the FRA should be closely examined by the department’s inspector general or some other higher-up.
FRA officials defended their safety enforcement activities, but internal memos obtained by the Times tell another story. A former associate administrator for the FRA told the Times that he had felt pressured to go easy on Union Pacific.
At a minimum, the FRA’s 10-year-old official partnership approach to enforcement needs rethinking. Strong safety measures must be a top priority.
It’s only reasonable to demand that the agency’s boss keep arms length from the industry it regulates.
Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta has a problem on his hands at the FRA. He should address it aggressively.