Herbicide vital to Alaska Railroad safety

We don't take the use of herbicides lightly. But the FRA is very clear and has given the Alaska Railroad an ultimatum: Control vegetation or suffer restrictions and/or fines. Yet, in spite of earnest attempts to use every non-chemical means including experimental technology, the railroad still received more than 100 costly vegetation-related FRA violations.

Our driving factor is safety, not cost. In fact, we agree with the April 2009 assessment the FRA's chief safety officer expressed in a warning letter sent to ARRC:

"Particularly troublesome is the fact that overgrown vegetation can hinder railroad employees from visually inspecting crossties, fasteners, tie plates, rail bolts, and other parts of the track structure. This can lead to track defects that go undetected and result in accidents. Considering that ARRC transports more than a half million passengers and 30,000 freight cars containing hazardous materials each year, an accident on the railroad could be catastrophic. Proper track inspections are essential, particularly during the summer months when ARRC's passenger travel is at its peak, and the vegetation problem is at its worst."

ARRC was relieved to finally receive DEC approval to use herbicide in critical track locations. To our knowledge, all other North American railroads do this routinely as part of their weed control programs. We will still continue to use non-chemical means of weed control in appropriate locations.

Our permit application addressed concerns the public has expressed. We also came prepared with a University of Alaska study specifically addressing glyphosate use on the rail where we propose to apply it. Study results provide assurances that this herbicide will not linger after it has done its job.

Unfortunately, misinformation has been repeated in recent articles that quote the appealing groups. A few points of clarification are in order.

First, the DEC permit stipulates that no herbicide will be applied within 100 feet of any surface water body. That means what it says. Herbicides will only be applied in areas that are more than 100 feet from any surface water body and within the permit area, which is an 8-foot-wide swath centered on the track, and in the Seward rail yard.

Secondly, herbicide opponents claim that glyphosate can cause human health effects. An independent environmental toxicologist reviewed the literature recently cited by appealing groups. That review concludes this information is "misleading and inaccurately represents the potential health risks." We encourage interested parties to review all the data, not just the information from either the proponents or the opponents. That is what the DEC did to arrive at its decision to issue the permit.

Lastly, the public supports our efforts to run a safe railroad. A 2008 public opinion survey conducted by Craciun Research Group found that 54 percent of those polled "would support the use of chemical weed killer, given that other methods have not worked. An additional 27 percent would support the use if the University of Alaska assures that it is safe."

The bottom line is that DEC, the agency with the expertise to sort through dueling scientific opinions, reviewed ARRC's proposal for nearly a year and determined that this limited use of herbicide is both prudent and safe. We need to get started now.

Tom Brooks is the Alaska Railroad's chief engineer, responsible for maintaining the track and right of way, which includes weed control.