Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
\nOn August 13,2013 Schumer urged the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) to require freight rail carriers to create a plan to retrofit or phase-out DOT-111 tank cars, which have proven to be flawed, out-of-date, and a factor in hazardous material spills during derailments. The recent freight rail derailment in the Canadian city of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, which involved DOT-111 cars, in combination with the increased shipments of crude oil along New York railways from Buffalo to Syracuse to Rochester and the Port of Albany, leads Schumer to urge a corresponding increase in safety measures for New York freight rail. Schumer explained this must be implemented through the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) regulatory process.