Sherrod Brown

03/20/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/20/2023 12:24

Brown, Rail Workers Discuss Railway Safety Act Overlooking Norfolk Southern Rail Yard in Cleveland

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) at the Wendy Park Bridge overlooking the Norfolk Southern Rail Yard in Cleveland to discuss his Railway Safety Act of 2023.

"We all know what Ohioans in East Palestine have dealt with over the last month. And that train likely ran right through Cleveland first, right past the region's freshwater supply," said Brown. "Railroad company lobbyists spent years fighting every effort to make our railroads safer, cutting more than 30 percent of their workers in less than 10 years. Now Ohioans are paying the price. It shouldn't take a train derailment for elected officials to put partisanship aside and work together for the people we serve - not corporations like Norfolk Southern."

Brown led a bipartisan group of colleagues, including Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), to introduce his Railway Safety Act of 2023 that will improve rail safety protocols, finally standing up to railroad company lobbyists so no other community has to deal with what East Palestine and others in Ohio, including residents of Springfield, Sandusky and Steubenville, have dealt with. Ohio news outlets have praised Brown's bipartisan plan as "wise," "commonsense" reforms that "could help keep people across the country safer." The legislation comes after Brown worked with Vance and others to raise concerns to the NTSB about lax rail safety rules that allowed the crash to happen.

"There is much work to be done to enhance the safety of rail transport in Ohio and beyond, but the first step is to enforce safety standards on all of America's railroads," said John Esterly, Ohio State Legislative Board Chairman, BLET.

"We owe it to the people of East Palestine, Ohio, and to all communities that have railroad tracks running through them to now have members of Congress do the right thingand take back control of our nation's supply chain from Wall Street's 'profit at any cost' mentality," said Jeremy Ferguson, President of the SMART, Transportation Division labor union. "I therefore urge everyone's support of this bill and I once again thank Senator Brown for being the leader on rail safety, just as he has always been a leader for the safety of all of Ohio and our great nation."

Last week, Brown, along with Pennsylvania's U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced the Assistance for Local Heroes During Train Crises Actto support first responders on the front lines of hazardous train derailments. In East Palestine, Ohio and Darlington, Pennsylvania, local emergency responders, firefighters, and law enforcement risked their own wellbeing to protect their communities in the aftermath of Norfolk Southern's disaster. This new legislation would create a new fund-paid for by companies that ship and carry these materials-to provide emergency responders, firefighters, and law enforcement with the financial resources needed to replace equipment, pay workers overtime, and address other urgent costs as well as compel railroads to notify local officials and emergency response groups when hazardous materials are moving through their communities.

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