Robert Torricelli: “I thank Senators McCain, Chafee, Baucus, and Hollings for their support for my efforts to have the Department of…”

“I thank Senators McCain, Chafee, Baucus, and Hollings for their support for my efforts to have the Department of Transportation investigate how to improve the safety of transporting high-risk hazardous waste material on our Nation's highways. This issue is of great concern to me and to the people of New Jersey. On October 20, 1997, a truck carrying hazardous materials caught fire while traveling on Interstate-80 in Paterson, New Jersey causing nearby residents and businesses to be evacuated. Two Paterson police officers had to be hospitalized and treated for chemical inhalation as a result of the accident. According to the police, the fire started when two chemicals inside the truck spilled over and mixed together. Though the accident was not severe, it certainly would have been much worse had a passing motorists not noticed the fire and forced the driver to pull over. We were also fortunate that the public safety officials were well-trained and acted as quickly as they did. What truly concerns me about this accident is the revelation that the company that was transporting the waste had been involved in 46 spill incidents at a cost of more than $100,000 since their inception. Despite this record, their last safety inspection by the Department of Transportation was conducted in 1994, almost four years ago.”