Biden backs bipartisan rail safety bill after East Palestine derailment

President Biden on Thursday supported a bipartisan bill that would tighten federal oversight of trains carrying hazardous materials following a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that spilled toxic chemicals.

“I applaud the bipartisan group of Senators for proposing railroad safety legislation that provides many of the solutions my administration has called for,” Biden said in a statement.

“This law provides us with the tools to hold companies accountable to prevent terrible tragedies like the Norfolk Southern collapse in East Palestine and bring these communities together.”

The Railroad Safety Act of 2023 was sponsored by Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown (R) and J.D. Vance (R), and Pennsylvania Senators John Fetterman (R) and Bob Casey (R). Senators Marco Rubio (D-Fla.) and Josh Hawley (D-Missouri) also co-sponsored the measure.

It is still unclear whether the bill will get enough support to overcome 60 filibusters in the Senate, or whether Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will bring it to a vote in the House of Representatives.

The bill introduces new safety requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials such as vinyl chloride carried by a derailed Norfolk Southern train. Going forward, trains will be required to submit a “gas release” plan for all such materials. Citing fears of an explosion, first responders in East Palestine conducted a controlled arson of materials shortly after the evacuation of local residents.

A House Democrat accuses the Republican Party of “misplaced priorities” in education. EPA requires Norfolk Southern to conduct direct dioxin testing in East Palestine.

The measure would also transfer oversight of railroad thermal sensors from the railroads to the federal government and add a requirement for a crew of at least two people per train, which the unions have been pushing for.

“I urge Republicans and Democrats alike to move quickly on these reasonable rail safety measures and send me the bill to sign,” Biden said.

The president, who met with Senatorial Democrats earlier Thursday, was asked after the meeting about any plans to visit eastern Palestine. He said he would do so “at some point”, while he argued that decisions to prevent future incidents would require bipartisan cooperation.

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