A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has proposed legislation that would make railroads, like the one involved in last month's fiery crash and toxic chemical release in Ohio, subject to a series of new federal safety regulations and financial consequences.
"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.Railroad worker unions argue that operational changes and widespread job cuts across the industry in the past six years have made railroads riskier.
"Rail lobbyists have fought for years to protect their profits at the expense of communities like East Palestine and Steubenville and Sandusky," he said in a statement. "These commonsense bipartisan safety measures will finally hold big railroad companies accountable, make our railroads and the towns along them safer, and prevent future tragedies, so no community has to suffer like East Palestine again.
Brown, Vance and the bill's other early co-sponsors - who include Democrats Robert Casey Jr. and John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, and Republicans Marco Rubio, of Florida, and Josh Hawley, of Missouri - also would increase the maximum fine that the U.S. Department of Transportation can impose for safety violations. It would raise it from $225,000 to up to 1% of a railroad's annual operating income, which could run into the tens of millions of dollars.
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Ohio senators introduce rail safety bill after fiery crash in East PalestineA bipartisan group of U.S. senators has proposed legislation that would make railroads, like the one involved in last month's fiery crash and toxic chemical release in Ohio, subject to a series of new federal safety regulations and financial consequences.
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Ohio senators introduce rail safety bill after fiery crash in East PalestineA bipartisan group of U.S. senators has proposed legislation that would make railroads, like the one involved in last month's fiery crash and toxic chemical release in Ohio, subject to a series of new federal safety regulations and financial consequences.
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Central Ohio communities mull lower train speed limits after East Palestine derailmentTrain speeds, especially through populated areas with cars carrying hazmat payloads, are under review in light of East Palestine derailment.
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Ohio Senate committee to meet on rail safety, talk with officials on scene in East PalestineChaired by Senator Bill Reineke and Vice Chair Michael Rulli, the committee will take take testimony and question state agency officials and experts working on scene in East Palestine.
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Ohio Democrat Sen. Brown Excuses Joe Biden's Absence in East PalestineSen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), up for reelection in 2024 and likely to face a tough opponent, excused President Joe Biden’s absence when asked about Biden visiting East Palestine, where a train carrying chemicals derailed.
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Ohio Gov. DeWine returns to East PalestineTo date, the U.S. EPA has not detected contaminants associated with the derailment while testing air quality within area homes, said DeWine.
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