Henry C. 'Hank' Jr. Johnson
03/21/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/21/2023 15:20
García, Stansbury, Johnson, 13 Members of Congress Urge DOT to Mandate Stronger Rail Safety Standards to Prevent Future Derailments and Other Accidents
Members urge Secretary Buttigieg to update federal standards for the use and maintenance of wayside defect detectors
WASHINGTON, DC -Today, in anticipation of next week's hearing on rail safety, members of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Representative Jesús "Chuy'' García (IL-04) and Representative Hank Johnson (GA-04), along with Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), and 13 Members of Congress wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg urging the Department to implement stronger rail safety standards, specifically mandating the use and maintenance of wayside detector systems. Wayside defect detector systems are crucial rail safety tools that monitor performance and can predict future failures. Even though the Federal Railroad Administration has issued guidance on the requirements of wayside detector systems, there is still no federal regulation mandating their use."Rail companies are far too powerful and their regulation is far too weak. Our largest railroads are becoming less and less safe, and the derailment in East Palestine is a tragic reminder of this fact," said Rep. García. "Chicagoland is the heart of our country's rail network, and our communities bear the burden when things go wrong. Wayside defect detector systems can help prevent derailments and other accidents. It's the Department of Transportation's job to keep our railways safe, and the federal mandate of wayside defect detector use should be an obvious step."'
"Our first commitment must be to the people of East Palestine, whose lives were turned upside down by this devastating derailment," said Rep. Johnson. "Rail companies that amass billions in profit must stop lobbying against common sense safety regulations, such as the implementation of wayside defect detectors or hot bearing detectors that could have made a huge difference. We also should consider a safety inspection program for trains carrying large volumes of hazardous materials, a faster process for approving safer tank cars for transporting hazardous materials, and higher maximum fines. Furthermore, Congress should strengthen the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) so that it can guard against future environmental and safety crises like this one."
"With increasingly dangerous derailments across the United States, the safety of our rail workers and communities should be the number one priority. Rail workers in New Mexico and across the country have been sounding the alarm on the unsafe practices of rail corporations for years. It is time we listen and act. The Biden-Harris Administration has already made progress on rail safety-but there is much more work to do," said Rep. Stansbury. "I am leading this letter with Representatives García and Johnson to make our railways safer, hold railway companies accountable, and follow our workers' lead-because we have seen the consequences of leaving rail companies to their own devices."
The 13 other members joining the letter are: Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Congressman Danny Davis (IL-07), Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09), Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)
A copy of the letter can be found here.
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