TWO LAWMAKERS PROPOSE LEGISLATION ON RAIL SAFETY

Train derailment in Ohio spurs effort to tighten regulations

Two House Democrats plan today to introduce a bill to tighten federal regulation of trains carrying hazardous materials, the first legislative proposal to emerge in Congress after the derailment of a freight train carrying toxic substances that has devastated a small community in Ohio.

Reps. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, whose district lies along the OhioPennsylvania

border near where the derailment occurred, and Ro Khanna of Fremont are sponsoring the legislation, which would broaden the definition of what is considered a “highhazard flammable train,” subject to stricter federal safety regulations. The train that derailed was exempt from such requirements because it was carrying less hazardous material than the threshold set by the Transportation Department.

The prospects for the measure are uncertain in a divided Congress, where the derailment has touched off a highly partisan debate over rail safety, federal regulation and who, if anyone, in Washington

is looking out for the plight of rural communities such as East Palestine, Ohio, where 38 Norfolk Southern rail cars, 11 of which carried hazardous materials, careened off the tracks and ignited a huge fire this month.

Officials decided to release and burn toxic materials from the train days later, sending a large plume of toxic smoke into the sky. Residents in the farm town of East Palestine have continued to suffer from the ecological damage.

“I have people I represent worried about their health, their safety, their livelihoods, and are mad at this railroad and the rail industry in general,” Deluzio said in an interview. “So it’s important to me and the people I represent that we do what we can to make this industry safer, that we tackle the problem of these dangerous materials and chemicals coming through our communities.”

The bill’s introduction comes as lawmakers in both parties have rushed to respond to the derailment. Sen. Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., the majority leader, on Monday called on the CEO of Norfolk Southern to testify on Capitol Hill about what went wrong.

In the Republican-led House, the Oversight and Accountability Committee has begun an investigation into the Biden administration’s handling of the incident, while two other panels — Transportation and Infrastructure, and Energy and Commerce — have formally requested information.

And six members of Congress who represent the region wrote to Norfolk Southern demanding details of the railroad’s operations and the company’s plan to clean up contaminated resources.

But the legislation by Deluzio and Khanna is the first bill to be introduced on the matter in Congress. It would lower the threshold for a train to be considered a “high-hazard flammable train.” Such trains are required to go no faster than 50 mph, and have newer braking equipment and special cars when transporting hazardous materials across the country.

The Transportation Department applies such rules to trains carrying flammable liquids in at least 20 consecutive cars — or 35 cars total. The derailed Ohio train had such substances in three of its cars, well below the threshold to require the additional safety precautions.

The legislation would lower the limit to one rail car containing any one of an expanded list of hazardous substances, beyond flammable liquids.