Jess Conard, who recently joined the BLET National Division staff as Community Coordinator, received an invitation to speak on a webinar hosted by the National League of Cities (NLC) to provide a brief tutorial on how local governments can sign up to participate in the Surface Transportation Board’s review of the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger before the September 30 deadline.
Conard’s presentation is designed to help simplify the participation process for local governments. BLET members are asked to spread the word and encourage their local community leaders to sign up for the tutorial.
The tutorial takes place online at noon on Monday, September 28, via Microsoft Teams. Here is a link to register: blet.link/4hcnccn.
This session is intended for local governments, but anyone is welcome to attend. More information about STB’s filing process is available here on NLC’s website.
A native of East Palestine, Ohio, Conard founded a national rail safety organization called Rail Watch after the 2023 derailment to help community leaders prevent derailments. In her new role with the BLET National Division, Conard will work with General Committees of Adjustment, State Legislative Boards, Local Divisions, Legislative Department, Rail Conference, and other BLET representatives to strengthen the union’s community engagement efforts and help educate communities about the work BLET members perform and the rail safety issues that affect them.