(Source: U.S. Department of Transportation press release, February 21, 2023)
Among the immediate calls for action: Freight rail industry should accelerate phase-in of safer tank cars and provide workers paid sick leave, and Congress can raise existing caps on the fines for rail safety regulations USDOT will advance train crew staffing rule, initiate a focused safety inspection program on routes over which high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs) travel Secretary Buttigieg: “We at USDOT are doing everything in our power to improve rail safety, and we insist that the rail industry do the same – while inviting Congress to work with us to raise the bar”
WASHINGTON DC – As local, state, and federal officials continue to investigate the cause of the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and monitor public health conditions, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called for a three-pronged push to hold the freight rail industry accountable and improve safety. That includes laying out immediate steps for Class I railroads to take to improve rail safety in communities across America and to improve working conditions for rail employees. It comes on the heels of Secretary Buttigieg’s letter to Norfolk Southern’s CEO, in which the Secretary called for an end to the rail industry’s “vigorous resistance” to increased safety measures, which has included litigation and lobbying Congress.
“Profit and expediency must never outweigh the safety of the American people,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We at USDOT are doing everything in our power to improve rail safety, and we insist that the rail industry do the same – while inviting Congress to work with us to raise the bar.”
The reforms demand that railroads take several actions, including requiring the owners of tank cars to expedite the phase-in of safer (DOT 117) tank cars and to offer paid sick leave for rail workers; call on Congress to increase maximum fines that USDOT can issue to rail companies for violating safety regulations up from the current maximum fine of $225,455; and state that USDOT will advance the train crew size rule and initiate a focused safety inspection program on routes over which trains with large volumes of hazardous material travel.
The full list is at the link above.