Railroads like the one involved in last month's fiery crash and toxic chemical release in Ohio would be subject to a series of new federal safety regulations and financial consequences under legislation being introduced Wednesday.
The Senate bill aims to address several key regulatory questions that have arisen from the disaster, including why the state of Ohio was not made aware the hazardous load was coming through and why the“Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again," Vance said in a statement."We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind.
The Association of American Railroads trade group says 99.9% of hazardous materials shipments reach their destinations safely, and railroads are generally regarded as the safest option to transport dangerous chemicals across land. Still, the East Palestine accident showed how even one derailment involving hazardous materials can be devastating.
Brown said it shouldn't take a massive railroad disaster for elected officials to work across party lines for their communities. Unions argue the longer trains are more prone to problems, including breaking apart in the middle of a trip, and these monster trains also can clog rail lines, because they may extend farther than the current sidings for pulling off the main tracks.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the crew involved in the East Palestine accident was alerted by a device designed to detect overheating bearings, but not soon enough to prevent the crash. Even as federal rail regulatorsfor operating and maintaining such detectors, the Senate proposal would make them more prevalent.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Railroads urged to examine track detectors after Ohio crashFederal regulators are urging freight railroads to reexamine the way they use and maintain the detectors along the tracks that are supposed to spot overheating bearings in the wake of the fiery Ohio derailment and several other recent crashes where faulty bearings are suspected to be the cause
Read more »
Railroads urged to examine track detectors after Ohio crashFederal regulators are urging freight railroads to reexamine the way they use and maintain the detectors along the tracks that are supposed to spot overheating bearings in the wake of the fiery Ohio derailment and several other recent crashes where faulty bearings are suspected to be the cause.
Read more »
Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder to take the stand Wednesday in ongoing corruption trialEx-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s lawyers have shared their final expected witness list for Householder’s ongoing federal corruption trial. Among them: Householder himself.
Read more »
EPA Resumes Transportation of Solid and Water Waste to Ohio Sites from Ohio Train DerailmentThe Environmental Protection Agency has hit pause on all further transportation of the contaminated water used to fight the fire at the Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred on February 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. “The EPA will ensure that all waste is disposed of in a safe and lawful...
Read more »
Ohioans placed more than $1 billion in sports bets the first month it was legalThe Ohio Casino Control Commission released its first revenue numbers for sports betting in Ohio.
Read more »