‘Rail Town’ Mayors Call for Passage of Railway Safety Act
May 18, 2023
Bipartisan legislation would help prevent devastating derailments in rail communities similar to East Palestine
Cantwell: “These are not red towns or blue towns…it’s time that we give America more rail safety.”
VIDEO | TRANSCRIPT | PHOTOS
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, held a press conference with mayors and municipal leaders from railroad communities calling for the Senate to pass legislation to prevent a disastrous train derailment like the one that devastated East Palestine from happening in their cities.
The Senate Commerce Committee passed the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023 on May 10, sending it to the full Senate. The legislation was introduced by Ohio and Pennsylvania Sens. Sherrod Brown, J.D. Vance, Bob Casey and John Fetterman following the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment. A summary of its key provisions can be found here.
“The bipartisan Railway Safety Act is trying to prevent disasters like East Palestine from happening in any other town in America again,” said Sen. Cantwell at the press conference. “We took the lessons of East Palestine and turned them into legislation…It is only fair that we come together as a country and make common-sense rail safety laws that are important to keeping our community safe. These are not red towns or blue towns. They are towns in which the mayors have decided that it's time that we give America more rail safety.”
“Local governments are united in our support of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act,” said Irma Esparza Diggs, Senior Executive and Director, National League of Cities. “We are here today to urge the Senate to pass this bipartisan rail safety legislation on behalf of all of our communities…No community, not one single community, should have to worry that nothing has changed after the toxic derailment like we saw in East Palestine, Ohio.”
“We had a major derailment that dumped over 3,000 gallons of fuel, just on the Swinomish tribal lands right by the Puget Sound,” said Deanna Dawson, Executive Director for the Association of Washington Cities. “This is a tremendous emergency in our communities. And we have these types of trains running through our downtowns, running along Puget Sound. We have them running right next to the playground that my son, we held his fourth birthday party at. This is a safety issue for our kids. This is a safety issue for all of our communities. And I urge our members of the Senate to join Senator Cantwell and others in passing this bipartisan legislation.”
“Utah has a rich rail history and we recognize the benefits of rail transportation,” said Mayor Jeff Silvestrini from Millcreek, Utah. “We have a saying across our country: think about the folks that live on the other side of the tracks…A lot of our less advantaged residents are really forced by virtue of housing prices to live right next to rail lines. And they're the ones that are…at risk of a derailment and a toxic spill in their neighborhoods. This is something that every city in America needs.”
“We've seen an increase in train derailments,” said Mayor Deborah VanMatre, from Gibbon, Nebraska. “In fact, just two years ago, we had one in my community of Gibbon…there were no injuries or it wasn't a toxic spill. However, we do have, as do most of the cities in Nebraska, volunteer fire departments. And so the access to additional funds for training is really important for us for that. We do encourage and hope that this bipartisan legislation does pass.”
“When I grew up, the railroad track was less than a football field from my house…We were fascinated with the railroads,” said Commissioner William Harris from Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. “It’s no longer a fascination. Now we’re at the point where we have to do something to improve those relationships to make sure that the railroad understands its role in still building America, but also building a safe America and having safe communities.”
“Oklahoma is the crossroads of the nation. We have many of our cities and towns that have rail,” said City Manager Pamela Polk from Collinsville, Oklahoma. “As a city manager…we are tasked with the responsibility of providing and building safe and healthy communities for our citizens. At the present [time], there are too many roadblocks to do that. This legislation will change that and point us in the right direction.”
“We've had a very scary event happen last month. A train derailed right along the Mississippi River and placed two train cars with hazardous material right into the Mississippi River,” said Village Administrator Maureen Murphy from Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. “This becomes an issue for the safety of all of our water. Think about that – anyone living near a railroad track…I'm here on behalf of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities to thank the senator.”
“I'm from Pennsylvania. Both of our United States senators are on board for this legislation. And frankly, this whole thing is real simple for all of us to understand. And thank you, senator. It's real simple. Three reasons why we're doing this: safety, safety, safety,” said Executive Director John Brenner Pennsylvania Municipal League from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
In March, the National League of Cities and more than 500 local officials sent a letter to Members of Congress following the East Palestine derailment expressing the need for Congress to act on railway safety writing: “With 140,000 miles of track in the U.S. crossing directly through thousands of cities, towns and villages, the severity of this derailment requires proactive reflection on rail safety actions that Congress can take now.”
View Sen. Cantwell’s press conference video HERE transcript HERE and photos HERE.
