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The effort was designed to help ExxonMobil’s Rail Operations team and local first responders understand how Union Pacific would safely respond to a hazardous materials (hazmat) derailment on its main line, outside of ExxonMobil’s fence line.

Union Pacific’s strategy of Safety, Service and Operational Excellence is driven by the dedication of our team and backed by cutting-edge technology.

“It’s a shame that a state championship game has to end on that note,” Peterson said. “It’s just frustrating, and we’ll see what the appeal does.”

Peterson said the school is appealing the denied protest. A five-person VPA committee will review the appeal likely later this week.

Mill River lost to Woodstock 20-19 in Saturday’s D-III final at Rutland High School, a thrilling ending decided on sophomore kicker Nikolai Davis’ extra-point kick.

Based outside Houston, ExxonMobil is one of the largest integrated fuels, lubricants and chemical companies in the world. The company’s Beaumont polyethylene plant produces the key ingredient of many everyday consumer products.

VPA associate director Bob Johnson, who reviewed the protest, said it was a judgment call, not something a protest could overturn. Video evidence or instant replay is not part of VPA or national federation rules.

Union Pacific’s David O’Hara, general director-Operating Practices, leveraged a tabletop scenario to lead the educational discussion.

Game officials, after conferring with each other, ruled Baumann down at the 1. Woodstock scored the tying touchdown on the ensuing fourth-down play, before Davis’ boot sent the Wasps to their third straight crown.

“Working through the tabletop scenario ensures all portions of the derailment response process are understood and carried out by mutual aid responders,” O’Hara said.

“Time heals all wounds. They will slowly live with the injustice of it,” Peterson said. “That’s life sometimes — you deserve something that you just don’t get.”

Brandt Truck Operator Chad Francis cautiously drove his work vehicle over three sets of private tracks and then onto a fourth track with an obstructed view. Suddenly, he found himself in the path of a moving train.

Mill River coach Art Peterson said he has video footage that definitively shows the fumbled ball going into the end zone, which by rule, would be a touchback and Mill River’s ball, effectively ending the title game in favor of the Minutemen.

Union Pacific Railroad recently conducted an emergency response drill in Texas with Jefferson County first responders and ExxonMobil’s Beaumont polyethylene plant, sharing information and best practices as part of a mutual aid emergency response drill.

For the protest to be upheld there would have to be a gross misapplication or misinterpretation of a specific rule. That wasn’t the case here, said Johnson.

From left, Tom Robinson Jr., manager-HazMat Management, and ExxonMobil’s Bryan Boaz walk through an emergency response drill exercise.

The Vermont Principals’ Association denied Mill River Union High School’s initial protest Monday to overturn a key play in overtime and change the winner of the Division III football championship game.

Union Pacific is a leader in hazmat transportation safety, securement and response, training more than 19,000 first responders in the last four years alone. Shipping hazmat by rail is the safest mode of land transportation – according to the Association of American Railroads, railroads deliver hazmat safely 99.9% of the time.

“They need to get with the times and see what’s available,” said Peterson of the use of video replay. “The object is to get it right, and so far that’s not being done.”

“If there’s an incident, just as with our peers in the Golden Triangle, we are ready to provide mutual aid if called upon,” said Bryan Boaz, rail planning and operations field supervisor for ExxonMobil. “David did a fantastic job setting the table for what a main line derailment looks like, giving our emergency responders an important perspective of Union Pacific’s process and procedure.”

But it was the penultimate play from scrimmage that has Mill River pleading to the VPA. On third down, Woodstock’s Tom Baumann, stretching for the end zone, fumbled near the goal line and was ruled out at the 1-yard line as the ball bounced out of bounds.

Union Pacific Railroad raised $860,000 for United Way affiliates across its 23-state system during its annual employee giving campaign in September.

Union Pacific is leveraging its unparalleled access to diverse and growing markets to connect new customers to our premier franchise.

Based on VPA bylaws, Mill River can appeal the decision and Peterson hopes the committee will look at the circumstances of the situation.