Overview: JD Vance and rail safety

Before Donald Trump chose Ohio’s JD Vance as his candidate for vice president, the U.S. Marine Corps veteran, lawyer, and author of “Hillbilly Elegy” gained the national spotlight as one of the authors of the Railway Safety Act of 2023. The bipartisan legislation — sponsored by six U.S. senators, three Republicans and three Democrats —  came in the aftermath of the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern derailment and chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio.

“Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again,” Vance said in a statement on his Senate campaign website, referring to the legislation. “We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind. Action to prevent future disasters is critical, but we must never lose sight of the needs of the Ohioans living in East Palestine and surrounding communities. One day, the TV cameras will leave, and the news cycle will move on, but the needs of those Ohioans will remain. I will never stop fighting to deliver the support they need.”

The legislation includes provisions mandating railroads use defect detectors; reduce the average distance between hotbox detectors from every 25 miles to every 15 miles; expand the types of chemicals that trigger Federal Railroad Administration requirements for trains carrying flammable liquids and other explosives or toxic materials; and improve the U.S. Department of Transportation’s railroad hazmat response.

Additionally, the bill would up the maximum statutory civil penalty from $100,000 to $10 million for Class I railroads that violate rail safety laws. The bill has been stalled due to Republican opposition to some provisions; the House has introduced its own bill with some additional provisions. [See “House rail safety hearing highlights new legislation,” Trains News Wire, July 23, 2024.]

With the East Palestine derailment occurring in his state a month after he was sworn in as senator, Vance quickly became a vocal advocate for East Palestine and broader rail safety. He met with members of the community and surveyed the status of environmental cleanup. In a statement released during his visit, Vance called upon President Joe Biden’s administration to fund a long-term health screening program for residents.

“We have to get the long-term health screening in place for residents,” Vance said in the statement published on his website. “If you talk to people, this is people who want to move on from this disaster, this is people are still worried about chemical contamination, they want to know with confidence that 10 years down the road, if something happens to their kids, God forbid, or themselves, they can trace it to this accident or not.”

During Rail Safety Week in September 2023, Vance was joined by Sens. Maria Cantwell, Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey and John Fetterman in drafting a resolution highlighting the need for more rail safety and awareness.

The resolution stated that in the past decade, Class I freight railroads had the highest derailment rate, a 14% increase, and more than 43,000 rail workers have been injured and 135 rail workers have been killed on duty, according to then-preliminary 2022 federal statistics. More recent 10-year rail safety data from the Federal Railroad Administration can be reviewed here.

This article is also appearing at Trains.com. Disclosure: JD Vance is an investor in FreightWaves SONAR through the Rise of the Rest fund.

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