A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and J.D. Vance (R-OH) is set to introduce legislation seeking to address the fiery train derailment in East Palestine and avoid future incidents.
The group of senators is expected to introduce the Railway Safety Act of 2023, which seeks to implement new rail safety measures and impose financial penalties if those requirements are not met, according to the Associated Press. The bill is cosponsored by a handful of Republicans and Democrats, marking a rare moment of bipartisanship as the two parties have sparred over who is responsible for the derailment.
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“Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again,” Vance said in a draft statement obtained by the outlet. “We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind.”
Under the legislation, rail carriers would be required to notify state emergency response officials if they are carrying hazardous materials and ensure that each train is operated by a team of at least two people. Additionally, the bill would require increased monitoring of rail car wheel bearings, which transportation officials say likely caused the Ohio train to derail.
Any rail carriers caught in violation of those mandates would be subject to penalties, which could be increased under the bill. The legislation stipulates that the Transportation Department can increase fines from the current $225,000 maximum fine to up to 1% of a railroad’s annual operating income — which could be tens of millions of dollars, according to the Associated Press.
“Rail lobbyists have fought for years to protect their profits at the expense of communities like East Palestine and Steubenville and Sandusky,” Brown said. “These commonsense bipartisan safety measures will finally hold big railroad companies accountable.”
The legislation marks a break from the partisan conflict that has surrounded the Ohio train derailment as lawmakers on both sides have tried to pin the disaster on the opposite party. Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for what they say has been an inadequate response, with GOP lawmakers in the House vowing to open an investigation into the matter.
Republicans have also hit out against Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, specifically attacking him for waiting three weeks before visiting the site of the derailment.
Meanwhile, Democrats have sought to slip the narrative to lay some of the blame on former President Donald Trump, pointing to his efforts to roll back Obama-era rail safety regulations.
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The legislation comes after the fiery crash of a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials on Feb. 3 that caused 38 train cars to derail from the tracks. The incident prompted the evacuation of about half the residents in East Palestine amid concerns about long-term health effects due to the released chemicals.
No one was injured or killed in the incident. Several government agencies have opened investigations into the incident, with officials saying it could take weeks before conclusions are made.