Vice President J.D. Vance said the Trump administration supports the Railway Safety Act during his visit to East Palestine on February 3. Photo: Associated Press
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On Monday, February 3, Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, to mark two years since the toxic train wreck and fire that was caused by the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train. “This community will not be forgotten, will not be left behind, and we are in it for the long haul,” the Vice President vowed.
Rail safety has been a key issue for Vance. Shortly after the wreck, the then-senator from Ohio became the co-sponsor of the Railway Safety Act. The legislation called for two-person train crews, phasing in safer tank cars, increasing fines against railroads for safety violations, and other reforms.
In his remarks near the crash site Monday, Vance said the new administration backs the Railway Safety Act. “The President endorsed the Rail Safety Act when it came out. So certainly we can say with confidence that the President shares my view that we need some common sense rail safety. And, yes, that is something we are going to work on over the next couple of years.” (The video can be viewed here: blet.link/4hsD3Rs)
In a statement to the media related to East Palestine, BLET First Vice President Mark Wallace, who also serves as the President of the Teamsters Rail Conference, said: “The nation just elected a leader who put the spotlight on rail safety two years ago. We ask that he continue to hold railroad executives’ feet to the fire in the pursuit of safer railroads. If we don’t enact safety reforms called for in the legislation Vance introduced, another East Palestine-type tragedy is likely to occur.”