Two Pennsylvania state senators announced this week they are introducing a companion bill to a house-passed measure designed to improve rail safety.
Senate action on the bill sponsored by State Senators Katie Muth (D-Royersford) and Lindsey Williams (D-Pittsburgh) would advance the legislation toward Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D) desk. The house version passed that chamber 141-62 earlier this month with the support of all Democratic representatives and a sizable minority of Republicans.
In a memorandum encouraging colleagues to cosponsor their emerging bill, Muth (pictured above, left) and Williams (pictured above, right) echoed sentiments aired earlier by house sponsors Rob Matzie (D-Ambridge) and Jim Marshall (R-Beaver Falls) in light of the February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. After the crash near Pennsylvania’s western border, rail company Norfolk Southern vented and incinerated five of the train’s cars carrying toxic vinyl chloride. Shapiro initially supported that course of action, though he reversed himself later, insisting the company originally indicated plans to burn only one car.
Numerous Ohio and Pennsylvania residents reported environmental and health problems attributed to the chemical discharge resulting from the incident. Several lawsuits have ensued. Federal legislation to improve rail safety passed the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee last month and awaits a full Senate vote.
Additionally, Shapiro and Norfolk Southern arrived at an agreement whereby the company would pay roughly $7.4 million in Pennsylvania, most of it to reimburse public agencies for their response efforts and about $1 million to assist affected residents.
The legislation Keystone State lawmakers are currently considering would add to the safety rules present in the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA). The Pennsylvania bill would tighten standards for wayside detector systems, boost safety-compliance efforts, facilitate reporting of hazards and establish minimum staff numbers for freight trains that travel through Pennsylvania.
“We need to ensure that our Commonwealth has safety measures in place to protect our residents in the event of another railroad disaster,” Muth and Williams wrote in their memo.
The senators cite data from the Federal Railroad Administration suggesting that at least 1,164 train derailments occurred across the U.S. last year, averaging about three such accidents daily.
Opponents of significant new safety measures point out that derailments resulting in the release of hazardous materials (hazmats) have fallen significantly over the last half-century. An analysis by the D.C.-based Cato Institute found that freight-vessel derailments reached a high of 36,786 in 1978 and dropped to 3,037 last year. The institute further observed that the number of derailed train cars emitting hazmats declined from 205 to 15 over that same period.
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Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Pennsylvania Daily Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Katie Muth” by Katie Muth.
