Opinion ID: 20121
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Locomotive Boiler Inspection Act

Text: 21 The Locomotive Boiler Inspection Act (LBIA), as amended, 49 U.S.C. 20701, et. seq., grants the United States the power to regulate all parts and appurtenances of railroad locomotives. The question of whether Congress intended the LBIA to preempt state regulation of railroad parts and appurtenances was addressed by the Supreme Court in Napier v. Atlantic Coast Line R.R. Co., 272 U.S. 605, 71 L. Ed. 432, 47 S. Ct. 207 (1926), which held that Congress intended the LBIA to occupy the field of locomotive equipment regulation. Id. at 613. At issue in Napier were state regulations prohibiting trains without cab curtains and fire-box doors from operating within the state. Although Congress had not promulgated regulations with regard to either device, the Court held that states were not free to do so themselves. See id. at 613. The Court found that the power delegated to Congress was a general one which extended to the design, the construction and the material of every part of the locomotive and tender and of all appurtenances. Id. at 611. The Court rejected the argument that because the state regulations were intended to address a safety concern not addressed by existing federal regulations, the two regimes did not conflict. Id. at 612. As the Court concluded, state regulations regarding the equipment of locomotives are preempted regardless of however commendable or however different their purpose. Id. at 613. In short, the LBIA completely preempts the field of locomotive equipment. 16 See id.; see also Missouri Pac. R.R. Co. v. Railroad Comm'n of Tex., 833 F.2d 570, 576 n.7 (5th Cir. 1987) (observing that state attempts to prescribe any locomotive safety equipment must necessarily fail.). It is against thisbackdrop of preemption that we address Appellants' claims.