[Texgreen] Senate Amendment Would Require Compliance with NAFTA Trucks Safety Requirements

[Margaret]

Little comfort to US independent truckers, but it's the least that
should be required in the interest of public safety!

- - -

http://www.citizen.org/hot_issues/issue.cfm?ID=1561

March 22, 2007
Senate Amendment to Appropriations Bill Would Require Bush
Administration to Comply with Safety Requirements for NAFTA Trucks
Pilot Project

Statement of Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizen*

Today the Senate appropriations committee included an amendment in
the supplemental appropriations bill that would require the U.S
Department of Transportation (DOT) to comply with all of the
requirements previously enacted by Congress concerning the safety of
Mexico-domiciled trucks. It also would require the DOT to comply
with the existing law concerning pilot programs, including the
opportunity for public notice and comment.

Several weeks ago, before the president's visit to Mexico, the DOT
quickly announced the opening of the border with a so-called "pilot
project" to allow long-haul, Mexico-domiciled trucks into the United
States. NAFTA required that the border be opened to large trucks,
although it has remained closed for a variety of reasons.

The DOT has not in any way defined its new "pilot project" or the
methodology it would use to evaluate it - or in fact whether the
agency would evaluate it. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Byron
Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) are to be commended
for pressing to ensure that the DOT fully complies with the law to
protect the U.S. public from unsafe tractor-trailer trucks. The
Senate appropriations committee did the right thing today in
ensuring the safety of any cross-border trucking program. We urge
the full Senate to pass this provision and the House of
Representatives to agree to this amendment in conference.

* Joan Claybrook was administrator of NHTSA from 1977-1981.