Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2005 | 11:15 a.m.
The "credible terrorism threat" that prompted the Federal Railroad Administration to send a train inspector to Las Vegas on Dec. 31, 2003, turned out to be radioactive medical waste with no terrorist connection.
But George Gavalla, a former associate administrator for safety at that agency, said Monday that chemical tank cars that were discovered unattended at area rail yards still should have had human security because Las Vegas was under heightened terrorism alert leading up to that New Year's Eve.
Railroad officials argue that heightened alert does not include constantly watching every one of the more than 1.7 million hazardous materials tank cars that traverse the United States and Canada each year. They maintain that their security is heightened and that incidents are on the decline because of it.
The New York Times initially quoted Gavalla in its Sunday editions about the unattended cars. The inspector found six unattended tank cars intended for chlorine gas at the Union Pacific rail yard at Arden, 13 miles southwest of McCarran International Airport, and four unattended tank cars possibly containing poisonous gas at Union Pacific's Henderson rail yard north of Interstate 215 and west of Stephanie Street.
When the inspector also visited the Union Pacific rail yard downtown, he was not challenged by any train crew members, the Times reported.
In a follow-up telephone interview with the Sun, Gavalla said the inspector was never able to confirm whether or not the unattended tank cars actually contained chemicals.
But Gavalla said that following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Association of American Railroads, a Washington trade group, told the Federal Railroad Administration that railroads would provide their highest levels of security to tank cars that were located in highly populated urban areas during times of heightened terrorism alert.
"They should impose their highest and most stringent resources," Gavalla said. "There is supposed to be close surveillance. Even empty tank cars contain residue."
Las Vegas was one of several large cities nationwide that was under heightened alert the day of the train inspection.
The train inspector was sent to Las Vegas following reports that Energy Department scientists had picked up suspicious radioactivity during surveillance in Las Vegas.
"We were alerted about the possibility of a dirty bomb," Gavalla said. "We had been warned about potential terrorist threats because of the New Year's celebration."
The radioactivity that was detected in the Las Vegas Valley turned out to be a radioactive isotope used to treat cancer. The radium pellet, deemed to be medical waste, was initially found by a homeless man who kept it in a storage unit. There were no arrests.
Because the railroad industry promised to beef up security in response to possible terrorism, the federal government never mandated a particular level of security, Gavalla said. It was simply left up to the railroads' discretion, he said.
"The key question is, how much of their plans have they implemented?" Gavalla said. "If you find situations where security plans aren't being implemented, maybe you need to look at federal mandates."
But officials with the Association of American Railroads and Union Pacific Railroad counter that the train industry has officials who sit on the highest level of federal anti-terrorism boards and that the plan currently in force is working to keep the railway system safe from potential attacks.
"With 1.7 million hazardous material tank cars moving annually in the United States and Canada, there is no way to physically have someone watch every tank car," said Tom White, spokesman for the Association of American Railroads.
"Railroads have provided additional security and continue to provide it. there are more patrols, more police surveillance and more video surveillance."
Since the terrorism attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, there have been no "specific" terrorism acts related to American railroads, officials said.
"We've seen generalized things like photos of rail equipment found on al-Qaida in Afghanistan, but no specific threat information," White said.
He noted, however, that stepped-up security to address general incidences has resulted in complaints from American train buffs angered over being chased off railroad property while trying to photograph passing trains for their hobby.
Also, the railroads are even more vigilant about trying to keep people from hopping freight cars, he said. But White said that is more for safety reasons than for potential terrorism activities.
"I feel comfortable with the security plans that have been adopted to make our system more secure," White said of overall rail security. "We have made it a much more difficult target for terrorists.
"Terrorists don't want to deal with targets that are more difficult. Potential terrorists have to wait a long time to find a car that contains chlorine. Many trains go by with no hazardous materials. If they have to sit and wait a long time that makes them conspicuous. That's something terrorists do not like."
John Bromley, spokesman for Union Pacific, said heightened security measures for the railroad have included restricting access to facilities, cutting off public tours and adding guards to some installations where officials believe it is necessary.
"We've educated our employees of the need to look for trespassers and be suspicious," Bromley said. "They are our eyes and ears. They do thorough jobs and notify dispatchers who work with railroad police and local authorities."
White said the reason Las Vegas railroad employees might not have challenged the inspector on New Year's Eve 2003 is they probably recognized him as a regulator of their industry.
Bromley agreed that safety and security measures that the railroad industry has taken have made rail shipments much safer. "Since 1980 there has been an 87 percent decline in hazardous material accident rates," Bromley said.
Bromley declined to comment on Gavalla's statements, saying, "Rail is the safest way to move this type of material. We have an outstanding record in safely delivering hazardous materials. And we have been concerned about chemical shipments since way before 9/11."
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