(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
“The recovery is not over, and while Norfolk Southern and other massive railroads would like the public to forgive and forget the toxic derailment, we’re not going to let them.”
Congressman Chris DeLuzio (PA-17) spoke at the Darlington Township Fire Department on Friday morning about the growing support and continued push regarding the Railway Safeway Act, created in response to the toxic Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred in nearby East Palestine in February of this year. DeLuzio was flanked by Darlington Township supervisor Mike Carreon and TWU member Dennis Sabina, who also spoke at the press conference.
Deluzio was adamant about why the bill is necessary: “If a company can afford to pay their CEO four million dollars and provide billions in stock buybacks, it can afford to better protect our communities,” he stated. “It’s clear…we cannot trust the big railroads to regulate themselves. They’re always going to put their profits ahead of all of us.”
In order to combat the profit-focused mindset that major railroads have exhibited, a major component of Deluzio’s bill sets higher penalties for companies that do not comply to proper safety procedures. “Under current law, the max fine ranges from $100,000-$250,000. My bill says that the maximum fine is one percent of a railroad’s operating revenue,” he explained. According to Deluzio, that would result in $47 million in fines for Norfolk Southern dating back to 2022.
“I think that is part of what we have to do,” he added, “not just to make rails safer in terms of requirements, [but] there have to be penalties when they break laws…penalties that matter more than just some rounding error.”
Additionally, the bill calls for a minimum staff of two persons per freight train, to strengthen safety requirements for the transport of hazardous substances, increases the frequency of inspections, and increases support for first responders in local communities.
Congressman Deluzio’s bill has gained bipartisan support from a number of fellow politicians, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The bill was introduced to the House of Representatives by Deluzio along with New York State Representative Nick LaLota (NY-1).