Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton appoints state rail director

Gov. Mark Dayton has appointed Alene Tchourumoff to serve as the state's rail director, a role newly created to increase Minnesota's oversight of the Bakken oil trains rumbling within a half-mile of 326,000 residents.

The governor's office said Tchourumoff will lead the administration's efforts to pursue railroad infrastructure improvements, beef up response in the event of a derailment or explosion, monitor rail movements and work with communities and railroad companies to ensure safety along Minnesota's 4,400 miles of track.

Given the state's extensive rail network, "Minnesota needs a full-time, highly qualified leader devoting close attention to their safe and efficient operations," Dayton said in a statement. "She will work out of my office to emphasize the importance I place upon her new role."

Tchourumoff serves as director of the planning department for Hennepin County Public Works, where she has been responsible for coordinating rail safety efforts. Before that, she was a manager for Deloitte Consulting in Washington, D.C., where she served as a financial and strategic policy adviser to the Federal Railroad Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation. She has also advised the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the California High-Speed Rail Authority and Dallas Area Rapid Transit on rail and finance issues.

Emergency responders around Minnesota are increasing pressure on railroad companies to release the information they say they need to prepare their towns and counties for a crash involving hazardous liquids. Concerns about communities' preparedness for a derailment or explosion have increased as the trains travel through populous areas.

Dayton's move to hire Tchourumoff comes as DFLers have focused on oil train safety as part of a strategy to take back control of the Minnesota House, particularly in competitive legislative districts where tensions have seethed between railroads and local communities.

The Dayton administration has proposed a raft of rail safety measures this legislative session. Those include $69.6 million for highway rail grade separations in Moorhead, Prairie Island and Coon Rapids; $3.5 million for the construction of an oil train derailment and pipeline safety training venue; and an annual railroad assessment that would bring in $33 million a year for rail safety improvements.

DFL transportation leaders praised the move and said they hoped the rail director could better coordinate efforts between state agencies that control transportation, public safety and pollution.

Senate transportation committee chairman Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, said big railroad companies have claimed that federal regulators pre-empted the state's authority to act on rail safety.

"That's utter hogwash," Dibble said. "There are many things the state has and can and will do to address rail issues."

He said the rail director "can help facilitate a coherent conversation among different interests. I think she'll carry [the governor's] authority with her and it's a signal of his focus and his interest in this."

House transportation chairman Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing, declined to comment on the appointment.

Patrick Waletzko, emergency manager for Otter Tail County, said the new rail director could ensure that agencies and companies meet their regulatory requirements. He also hoped that Tchourumoff would be a point person for local officials looking for answers on railroad traffic.

"Any efforts that we can make to help coordinate … are going to be a benefit," Waletzko said.