March 23, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Congressional Hearing, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(Source: Associated Press, March 22, 2023) A bipartisan consensus that Congress should act to toughen regulations on railroads emerged Wednesday as senators heard fresh testimony on the fiery hazardous train derailment last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Full...
March 21, 2023 | 2-man Crews, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(Source: Freight Waves, March 17, 2023) Two congressional representatives from Ohio have introduced their own rail safety bill that excludes a train crew size requirement. The bill, Reducing Accidents in Locomotives Act, or RAIL Act, calls for the promulgation of new...
March 20, 2023 | 2-man Crews, East Palestine-NS, Fatality, Legislation, News, NS, Railroad Safety, Top News
CLEVELAND, Ohio, March 20 — With the Norfolk Southern Rail Yard in Cleveland as a backdrop and leaders of the BLET by his side, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) held a news conference Monday calling for passage of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023. The...
March 16, 2023 | Derailment, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, Legislation, NS, Railroad Safety, UP
(Source: More Perfect Union, March 14, 2023) Facing a push in Congress for stronger rail safety rules after the disastrous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, railroad giant Union Pacific is steering its donations to Republican lawmakers — some with oversight...
March 15, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Derailment, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, Legislation, NS, Railroad Safety
(Source: The Hill, March 14, 2023) A conservative advocacy group called “FreedomWorks” is pushing lawmakers to oppose a bipartisan rail safety bill that was introduced following the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment. The group claims the bill would create “gross...
March 15, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(Source: Progressive Railroading, March 14, 2023) President Joe Biden’s proposed fiscal-year 2024 budget released last week calls for over $1 billion in rail safety improvements, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Meanwhile, the U.S. Conference...
March 10, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(Source: Politico, March 9, 2023) President Joe Biden’s effort to toughen railroad safety regulations is setting up a collision with an industry used to getting its way in Washington. Full story: Politico
March 9, 2023 | Headlines, Legislation, War on Workers
(Source: Detroit News, March 8, 2023) The Democratic-led Michigan House approved a package of bills Wednesday repealing the state’s decade-old right-to-work law and restoring prevailing wage requirements for government contracts, reversing two key policies...
March 9, 2023 | Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(The Lever, March 9, 2023) In 2004, a registered lobbyist for a railroad corporation got himself elected to the U.S. Senate, and then he promptly helped his former client become eligible for billions in cheap federal loans in the wake of the company’s hazmat train...
March 7, 2023 | 2-man Crews, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(Source: The Hill, March 6, 2023) Ohio Sens. J.D. Vance (R) and Sherrod Brown (D) unveiled a rail safety proposal last week that has already won over the White House and top Democrats. But winning support from Republicans is proving to be harder as some question if it...